Poland and Romania are gearing up for two of Central and Eastern Europe’s most anticipated electoral contests this year, with both countries to hold presidential elections within the next two months.

Romania is preparing for the first-ever presidential election re-run in its history after the Constitutional Court cancelled the first-round results of last November’s vote over alleged foreign interference in favour of ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, who was since barred from running again. With George Simion, the leader of the main opposition Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), running in his place, the election is shaping up as a showdown between nationalist and pro-EU candidates, with multiple contenders running on the opposing side. These include the candidate of Romania’s grand coalition, Crin Antonescu, former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, pro-EU opposition leader Elena Lasconi and Bucharest’s liberal mayor Nicușor Dan.

In recent weeks, Poland’s upcoming presidential election has turned into a three-way race between Rafał Trzaskowski, Warsaw’s liberal mayor and the candidate of the senior ruling Civic Coalition (KO), Karol Nawrocki, a historian supported by the main opposition and right-wing Law and Justice (PiS), as well as Sławomir Mentzen, the leader of the nationalist-libertarian Confederation movement. While previous presidential elections in Poland were dominated by the KO-PiS rivalry, Mentzen, due to his nationalist rhetoric and populist appeal, now has a good chance of entering the second round and facing off against Trzaskowski.

At the time of writing, the outcomes of both electoral contests are uncertain, with multiple post-election scenarios possible both in Poland and Romania. A prospective victory by Trzaskowski in Poland and Antonescu or Dan in Romania would mean a smooth legislative process for both incumbent governments, while an opposition victory would likely impact the stability of either ruling blocs, particularly in Romania.