Alison Roberts
Portugal correspondent, reporting from Lisbon

Image source, EPA

Portugal’s general election, the third in three years, is the second in a row triggered by a major controversy surrounding the prime minister of the day.

The last one, in March 2024, was won by Luís Montenegro’s right-of-centre Democratic Alliance (AD).

That was triggered by the resignation of Socialist predecessor, António Costa, whose name came up in a probe into irregularities in state contracts. He wasn't made a suspect and is now president of the European Council.

This time around, Luís Montenegro's own business dealings have come under scrutiny in the form of a company set up before he became party leader, and now owned by his sons. In a bid to head off an inquiry, he tabled a motion of confidence, lost and his government collapsed.

Image source, Getty Images

Although he's tipped to win, Montenegro is not likely to win a majority in Portugal's 230-seat parliament.

The far-right Chega is currently tipped to come in third place, but its leader Andre Ventura has struggled with health issues in the final stretch of the campaign.

Once at a rally and then another time during a walkabout he clutched his stomach in agony and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

Image source, EPA

Here’s when we’re expecting the first exit polls and results from each country:

• Romania: The first exit polls for the presidential election should be out at about 21:00 local time (19:00 BST). We’ll start seeing the first results from 23:00 local time, and most votes should be counted by 01:00 or 02:00 local time
• Poland: Exit polls for the first round of the Polish presidential election are due at around 21:00 local time (20:00 BST). If no candidate gets over 50% of the vote today, there will be a second round on 1 June
• Portugal: We're expecting the first exit polls for Portugal’s general election at about 20:00 local time (20:00 BST)

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, three major European elections are under way today.

Here's a quick rundown of what each country is voting for:

• Romania: It’s the second round of a presidential election. Voters are choosing between nationalist George Simion and liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. This follows the first round, which took place on 4 May 2025
• Poland: This is also a presidential election, but it’s the first round. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates on 1 June 2025
• Portugal: A general election is taking place, with all 230 seats in the single-chamber parliament up for grabs. Usually, the leader of the largest party after the election becomes the prime minister

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service, reporting from Bucharest

Image source, EPA

Polling stations in Bucharest opened at seven in the morning local time (05:00 BST) and they close in under two hours' time.

Observers have already noticed that voting has more active than in the first round, with turnout now close to 60%.

In the morning, it was mostly people of the older generation who rushed to polls. Many men came wearing white shirts and jackets, while women wore national costumes embroidered with floral patterns.

Pensioner Roxana told the BBC:

Roxana continued by saying "I'm afraid there will be violence and unrest in the country. I have two young sons. I'm worried about them”.

By lunchtime, young people and couples with children began to gather for the elections. Even small queues began to form at the polling stations.

So far 10.73 million Romanians have voted out of a total of just under 18 million. That's already more than the 9.5 million who voted two weeks ago in the first round.

Today's vote could see Romania take a sharp turn away from Europe's mainstreampublished at 17:04 British Summer Time 18 May

17:04 BST 18 May

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent, reporting from Romania

When Romania's presidential election was annulled late last year after claims of Russian interference, a far-right conspiracy theorist was blocked from the top job.

Many Romanians were deeply relieved; many others were angry their votes had been stolen.

But six months later, with the country back at the ballot box, another hard-right Euro-sceptic is in the running for president.

It's a vote that could see Romania, a member of both Nato and the European Union (EU), take a sharp turn away from the European mainstream.

Image source, Getty Images

George Simion talks a lot about "making Romania great again", echoing the Maga politicians in the US he so admires. He has the same isolationist approach, too: Romania first, in everything.

After more than three decades of the same parties dominating politics, frustration with corruption and poor performance has been building.

Much of his support comes from those who originally voted for Calin Georgescu, the fringe figure who won the first election in November before it was cancelled on national security grounds.

The two men have often appeared side-by-side since then - including when they voted today - and Simion has pledged to make Georgescu prime minister if he is elected.

Image source, Reuters

This is Romania’s second attempt at holding a presidential election, after the previous process was scrapped in December just 48 hours before the run-off vote.

A court ordered the first round to be annulled after far-right independent candidate Calin Georgescu led the vote, amid allegations of Russian interference.

Declassified intelligence suggested Russia helped set up social media TikTok accounts supporting him. Moscow denied interfering in the vote.

TikTok videos backing Georgescu weren’t labelled as election content, breaking Romanian laws. The court said its decision was to keep the election fair and legal.

In March, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau further barred Georgescu from running in the new election, saying he "doesn't meet the conditions of legality". He appealed, but lost.

George Simion, another candidate and an ally of Georgescu, has said he will appoint Calin Georgescu as prime minister if he wins the presidency.

Mircea Barbu
reporting from Bucharest, Romania

Image source, Reuters

George Simion leads the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a nationalist party known for its anti-establishment rhetoric and conservative values.

A former activist for Romanian-Moldovan unity, Simion has built a powerful base through populist messaging and social media.

He draws support from rural areas and the diaspora, campaigning on sovereignty, family values, and resistance to perceived foreign influence. His rise reflects growing discontent with Romania’s political mainstream.

Nicusor Dan is a mathematician-turned civic activist, who rose to prominence as an anti-corruption advocate and founder of the Save Bucharest Association.

Known for his technocratic style and quiet determination, he later became mayor of Bucharest, focusing on transparency and urban reform.

Running as an independent backed by a broad centrist coalition, he appeals to urban, pro-European voters disillusioned with traditional politics.

Dan’s campaign centres on rule of law, EU integration, and modernisation.

Tinshui Yeung
Live page editor

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images

It's a big Sunday for Romania, Poland and Portugal as voters in all three countries have been heading to the polls today.

Romania is holding the second round of its presidential election. Voters are choosing between hard-right Eurosceptic George Simion and liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.

Today's vote is the second attempt to elect a new president after Romania's constitutional court last year annulled the first round of the vote amid allegations of Russian interference.

The leading candidate in November's vote, far-right populist Calin Georgescu, has been barred from participating in the presidential election re-run.

Meanwhile, Poland is holding the first round of the presidential election, as President Andrzej Duda is stepping down due to term limits. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, a run-off between the top two will be held on 1 June 2025.

Elsewhere, in Portugal, it’s a general election for all 230 seats in parliament. The leader of the largest party usually becomes prime minister.

We're expecting polling stations to close in all three nations over the next couple of hours. We'll bring you the results right here as we get them.