Poland: Vote too close to call, Trzaskowski claims victory – DW – 06/02/2025
06/02/2025
June 2, 2025 Nawrocki set for narrow win: reports
According to Polish media reports, the conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki has won the run-off election for president.
Major Polish media outlets such as the newspaper Rzeczpospolita and the news portal Onet.pl based this on the count of more than 99% of the votes by the National Electoral Commission.
Their information sees Nawrocki securing just under 51% of the vote, while his liberal opponent Rafal Trzaskowski received just over 49%.
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DW
3 hours ago
- DW
What next for EU-Poland ties after Nawrocki's election win? – DW – 06/03/2025
Newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki is known as an EU skeptic. How can he sway Poland's EU policy, and how is he viewed in Brussels? Right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki has won the race for the Polish presidency. During the election campaign, Nawrocki touted his affinity with US President Donald Trump and pledged a "Poland first" approach. He opposes Ukraine's accession to NATO and is perceived as an EU skeptic. Polish voters elected Nawrocki with the slimmest of margins on Monday morning, prompting reactions across all of Europe. Many heads of state and government congratulated the future Polish president. Among those belonging to the right-wing political spectrum were Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The latter enthused about a "fantastic victory" and strengthening the work of the Visegrad Group, a political alliance consisting of Poland, Hungary, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other heads of state and government, including Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, emphasized common values. French President Emmanuel Macron called on Poland to champion a Europe that's "strong, independent, competitive" and "respects the rule of law." EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent congratulations as well. On X, she wrote: "I'm confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland. We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values." Nawrocki ideologically close to PiS party Nawrocki is officially non-partisan, but entered the campaign for presidency as a candidate backed by the right-wing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023. During its term of office, the party reformed the Polish judicial system, sparking an ongoing dispute with Brussels over accusations of dismantling the rule of law. This eventually led to a so-called Article 7 procedure. The European Union's Article 7 allows for the suspension of member state rights if that state seriously and repeatedly violates the EU core values. Despite new government, Poland remains polarized To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The procedure was closed last year when the country announced it would implement the required changes. As a result, billions of euros were disbursed to Poland, funds that had previously been frozen by the EU due to concerns about the rule of law. Many Polish government proposals were vetoed by sitting President Andrzej Duda, who also has PiS leanings. Observers expect this obstructive stance to continue under the new president. The EU Commission declined to speculate on possible repercussions. In its daily press briefing, it emphasized its confidence in Poland's further implementation of reforms and its support for the country's efforts. Are new tensions with the EU over the rule of law imminent? Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament, fears that Poland's political deadlock will continue. He calls on the EU commission to correct its "mistake" — prematurely releasing frozen EU funds — and to continue putting pressure on Poland. Piotr Buras, Warsaw bureau head of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told DW that the EU Commission would have to take into consideration what actually happened in Poland. For example, the government under Donald Tusk had seen to it that illegal laws are no longer applied, thus removing the grounds for Article 7 proceedings. Buras believes that a renewed clash with the EU over the rule of law is out of the question with the Tusk government in power. Nawrocki is expected to obstruct the agenda of Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk (pictured above) Image: Frederic GARRIDO-RAMIREZ/European Union How will the ballot impact Poland's EU policy? According to Buras, the newly elected president does not have the chance to exert direct influence on Poland's EU policy, because according to the Polish constitution this is solely down to the government, the political scientist said. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the president of Poland appoints the government, signs international treaties, and has the power to veto laws. This is precisely how Nawrocki could interfere with the government's EU policy, said Buras. As soon as EU policy had to be implemented in national legislation, he could block it, thereby reducing the Tusk government's room for maneuver, he added. Buras expects such blockades in issues like the rule of law, abortion, migration and climate policy. He simultaneously pointed out that the Tusk government was itself far from progressive in the areas of migration and climate policy. EU Parliament torn between joy and skepticism Whereas Manfred Weber, chairman of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, hoped that Nawrocki would work "constructively' with Poland's government for the country's benefit, MEP Rene Repasi believed that the Polish government was caught up in a "mess." For the social democrat, new parliamentary elections are not unlikely, because the right-wing conservative Nawrocki and the "Tusk government's progressive agenda" would get in each other's way. However, the right-wing conservative European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which also includes Poland's PiS party, welcomed Nawrocki's election victory. Europe must remain a "community of free nations," not a "machine" that ignores "the will of the people," said the group's co-chairman, Nicola Procaccini. Political scientist Buras, however, believes that Nawrocki's election victory was not tantamount to voting against the EU. Neither PiS nor Nawrocki had ever called for Poland's exit from the bloc. At the same time, Buras added that skepticism regarding a loss of sovereignty and interference in the country's internal affairs was widespread in Poland, and Nawrocki had taken advantage of that prevailing mood. This article was originally written in German. Edited by: Jess Smee
DW
8 hours ago
- DW
Polish presidential election outcome a blow to government – DW – 06/02/2025
Right-wing conservative historian and euroskeptic Karol Nawrocki has won the Polish presidential runoff by a whisker. The result is a bitter blow for Donald Tusk's pro-European government. Poland's State Election Commission announced on Monday morning that the right-wing conservative historian and euroskeptic Karol Nawrocki had received 50.89% of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, putting him marginally ahead of his liberal-conservative, pro-European rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, on 49.11%. Nawrocki will be inaugurated in August, succeeding President Andrzej Duda, who, after two terms in office, was no longer able to run for president. Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian from Gdansk, was nominated by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. PiS presented Nawrocki as a non-partisan, independent "citizens' candidate" although his campaign was paid for and organized by the party and his program aligned with that of PiS. "We have succeeded in uniting the entire patriotic camp," said Nawrocki, who went on to say that a "Poland without migrants" was his political objective. "We won because we were right," added PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Supporters of the Confederation Liberty and Independence party, which has an ultranationalist and an economic libertarian wing, also voted for Nawrocki. Most supporters of Grzegorz Braun, a hard-right, antisemitic politician, backed Nawrocki at the ballot box, too. Bitter blow for the government Trzaskowski was the candidate of the liberal-conservative Civic Platform (PO) of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The 53-year-old mayor of Warsaw was also backed by other parties in the ruling coalition, the Third Way (TD) and the New Left. His surprising defeat is a major blow for Tusk's government. During his election campaign, Nawrocki made no bones of the fact that he intends to continue President Duda's policy of obstructing the government. In the 18 months since Tusk returned to power, Duda has often used his veto powers to block government reforms, especially those relating to the restoration of the rule of law. The outcome of the election is a massive blow to the government of Donald Tusk (right) Image: Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images "Nawrocki will apply the handbrake in terms of domestic policies and will make life difficult for the government," political scientist Barbara Brodzinska-Mirowska told broadcaster TVN on Sunday evening. Where does Nawrocki stand on key foreign policy issues? It is also likely that Nawrocki will narrow the government's room to maneuver in terms of foreign policy. According to the constitution, the Polish president is not only commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he also has a say in foreign policy. Nawrocki's stance on core foreign policy issues clashes with those of the government. During his election campaign, he spoke out against Ukraine joining NATO and in favor of attaching conditions to the country's EU accession. In terms of security, the president-elect favors relying on the US, is a euroskeptic and mistrusts Berlin. He also wants to continue efforts to get Germany to pay war reparations to Poland. "Poland is facing the Hungarian scenario," said sociologist Robert Sobiech, who warned that with Nawrocki, Poland will distance itself from Europe, as Hungary has under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and that PiS could — together with the ultra-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party — return to power in 2027. An emotional roller coaster Both candidates were on an emotional roller coaster from the moment the polling stations closed at 9 p.m. CET. The first exit poll indicated that Trzaskowski (50.3%) had a wafer-thin lead over Nawrocki (49.7%). Mayor of Warsaw and presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski (pictured here casting his vote on Sunday) came a very close second Image: Petr David Josek/AP/picture alliance "We've won!" declared Trzaskowski, who promised to start implementing his program "like a torpedo" and pledged to extend a hand to all those who voted for his opponent. But the euphoria in his team didn't last long. Another poll released two hours later, which included the results from some polling stations, reversed the predicted outcome. An initial analysis indicates that it was above all men and people aged 29 and younger who voted for Nawrocki, while women and older people backed Trzaskowski. Numerous scandals did not stop Nawrocki In recent months, the media have made a series of major accusations against Nawrocki, who has been head of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) since 2021. He was accused of having had ties to people in the hooligan scene and the criminal underworld and of having bought a social housing apartment from a destitute, alcohol-dependent man by dishonest means. Nawrocki admitted taking part in a pre-arranged mass brawl between the fans of two rival football clubs. An initial analysis indicates that it was above all men and people aged 29 and younger who voted for Nawrocki, while women and older people backed Trzaskowski Image: Muhammet Ikbal Arslan/Anadolu/picture alliance The online platform ONET claimed that while working for a security company as a student, Nawrocki organized prostitutes for guests at a luxury hotel in Sopot on the Baltic coast. But none of these reports derailed Nawrocki's bid for the presidency. Writer Slawomir Sierakowski spoke of the "boomerang effect," explaining that the "intrusive highlighting" of these stories in the media actually strengthened a feeling of solidarity with the candidate. Jacek Nizinkiewicz of the newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Monday called the outcome a "political earthquake." "Things will not calm down after the election. Poland has been so deeply divided for two decades that the new president will not fill in these trenches," wrote Nizinkiewicz. "It is to be feared that the opposite will be the case." This article was originally published in German.
Local Germany
13 hours ago
- Local Germany
Germany vows to migration crackdown at borders despite court setback
The policy was brought in on May 7, just a day after conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his cabinet took office with a promise to crack down on irregular migration. However, Berlin's Administrative Court ruled on Monday that people "who express the wish to seek asylum while at a border check on German territory may not be sent back" before it was determined which state was responsible for processing their claim under the EU's so-called "Dublin" system. Despite this, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said hours after the judgement that "we will continue with the pushbacks", adding that "we think we have the legal justification for this". Monday's court decision follows an appeal made by three Somali nationals who encountered an immigration check at a train station at Frankfurt an der Oder on the Polish border on May 9. They expressed their wish to claim asylum in Germany but were sent back to Poland the same day. The court said that their pushback was illegal and that its "findings can also be applied to other cases" of people being turned away at Germany's borders. Advertisement However, the court also ruled that "the petitioners cannot demand to be allowed into" Germany. The process of establishing which EU state is responsible for the asylum application "can be carried out at or close to the border", the court said. The court rejected the government's argument that the Dublin procedure could be disregarded if this is necessary to "keep public order and protect domestic security". The government had failed "to demonstrate a danger to public security or order" that would justify such a move, the court said. Dobrindt insisted that Monday's judgement only had a direct impact in the "individual case" of the three Somali complainants. Advertisement He said he wanted the court to start another procedure in which the government could explain its case "more firmly". However, it is unclear whether this is legally possible given that the court said Monday's decision was final. Under the Dublin procedure, irregular migrants should be registered in the EU country they first enter. Should they head to another nation in the bloc, they can in most cases be returned to their first port of call in the EU. Irritated neighbours The new policy of pushing back undocumented migrants at Germany's borders, including almost all asylum seekers, was quickly introduced after Merz's government took office early last month. This was despite worries voiced by some in his coalition's junior partner, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), that the policy was not legally sound. The government has also stressed that the pushbacks were temporary and that the longer-term solution has to be improved security at the EU's external borders. According to the interior ministry, more than 2,800 people have been denied entry to Germany in the first two weeks of the new policy being applied, including 138 people who wanted to claim asylum. A crackdown on irregular migration was a key plank of Merz's platform for February's general election. That vote saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) score its best-ever result of just over 20 percent and Merz insists that action on migration is the only way to halt the party's growth. The new government's pushback policy has led to some irritation among Germany's neighbours as well as fears of adverse impacts on cross-border commuters and border communities. On Monday a foreign ministry source confirmed that the French embassy in Berlin had sent the German government a letter demanding clarity on Germany's migration policy. As well as the pushbacks, Merz's new government is planning to suspend family reunifications for two years for immigrants who have subsidiary protection status. It also wants to abolish a measure brought in under the previous government which enables people to apply for German citizenship after three years if they can prove they are exceptionally well-integrated into German society.
