Polish presidential vote tests PM's European vision
Poles were voting in a presidential election that will decide whether Warsaw follows the pro-European path set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk or steps towards bringing back the nationalist admirers of US President Donald Trump.
Trump's return to power has energised eurosceptics and Sunday's ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk's pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk's Civic Coalition, against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by PiS.
Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off on June 1 if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent.
Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from early on Saturday until voting ends on Sunday.
Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the left.
The Polish first-round vote takes place on the same day as a second-round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to "Make Romania Great Again", faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.
A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the European Union as the bloc grapples with the twin challenges of Russia's invasion of Poland's eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump's tariffs.
Polls in Poland opened at 7am on Sunday (0500 GMT) and close at 9pm, with some 29 million people eligible to vote.
The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation.
That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie Tusk's efforts to undo judicial changes implemented under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy.
Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland's role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS's judicial changes.
"I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners ... within NATO and the EU," he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday.
"I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign ... I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us."
Nawrocki's campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide.
But Trump showed support by meeting Nawrocki in the White House.
Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBTQI marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings.
"The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw ... 1000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy," he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin.
Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia.
However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour.
He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv's attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.
Poles were voting in a presidential election that will decide whether Warsaw follows the pro-European path set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk or steps towards bringing back the nationalist admirers of US President Donald Trump.
Trump's return to power has energised eurosceptics and Sunday's ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk's pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk's Civic Coalition, against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by PiS.
Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off on June 1 if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent.
Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from early on Saturday until voting ends on Sunday.
Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the left.
The Polish first-round vote takes place on the same day as a second-round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to "Make Romania Great Again", faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.
A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the European Union as the bloc grapples with the twin challenges of Russia's invasion of Poland's eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump's tariffs.
Polls in Poland opened at 7am on Sunday (0500 GMT) and close at 9pm, with some 29 million people eligible to vote.
The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation.
That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie Tusk's efforts to undo judicial changes implemented under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy.
Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland's role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS's judicial changes.
"I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners ... within NATO and the EU," he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday.
"I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign ... I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us."
Nawrocki's campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide.
But Trump showed support by meeting Nawrocki in the White House.
Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBTQI marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings.
"The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw ... 1000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy," he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin.
Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia.
However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour.
He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv's attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.
Poles were voting in a presidential election that will decide whether Warsaw follows the pro-European path set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk or steps towards bringing back the nationalist admirers of US President Donald Trump.
Trump's return to power has energised eurosceptics and Sunday's ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk's pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk's Civic Coalition, against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by PiS.
Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off on June 1 if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent.
Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from early on Saturday until voting ends on Sunday.
Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the left.
The Polish first-round vote takes place on the same day as a second-round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to "Make Romania Great Again", faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.
A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the European Union as the bloc grapples with the twin challenges of Russia's invasion of Poland's eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump's tariffs.
Polls in Poland opened at 7am on Sunday (0500 GMT) and close at 9pm, with some 29 million people eligible to vote.
The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation.
That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie Tusk's efforts to undo judicial changes implemented under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy.
Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland's role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS's judicial changes.
"I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners ... within NATO and the EU," he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday.
"I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign ... I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us."
Nawrocki's campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide.
But Trump showed support by meeting Nawrocki in the White House.
Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBTQI marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings.
"The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw ... 1000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy," he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin.
Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia.
However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour.
He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv's attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.
Poles were voting in a presidential election that will decide whether Warsaw follows the pro-European path set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk or steps towards bringing back the nationalist admirers of US President Donald Trump.
Trump's return to power has energised eurosceptics and Sunday's ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk's pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk's Civic Coalition, against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by PiS.
Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off on June 1 if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent.
Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from early on Saturday until voting ends on Sunday.
Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the left.
The Polish first-round vote takes place on the same day as a second-round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to "Make Romania Great Again", faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.
A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the European Union as the bloc grapples with the twin challenges of Russia's invasion of Poland's eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump's tariffs.
Polls in Poland opened at 7am on Sunday (0500 GMT) and close at 9pm, with some 29 million people eligible to vote.
The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation.
That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie Tusk's efforts to undo judicial changes implemented under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy.
Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland's role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS's judicial changes.
"I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners ... within NATO and the EU," he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday.
"I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign ... I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us."
Nawrocki's campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide.
But Trump showed support by meeting Nawrocki in the White House.
Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBTQI marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings.
"The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw ... 1000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy," he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin.
Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia.
However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour.
He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv's attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Jacob Greber to replace Laura Tingle as political editor on 7.30
ABC's flagship current affairs program 7.30 has announced the replacement for star political reporter Laura Tingle, who has become the national broadcaster's global affairs editor. Jacob Greber, who joined the ABC as chief digital poetical correspondent from The Australian Financial Review less than a year ago, will take on the high-profile role from July 7. The announcement was made by 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson, describing it as a 'very special moment'. ' With an almost 30-year career in journalism covering politics, economics and world affairs – all the things that we want – he's been a foreign correspondent as well, and got his start working as a copyboy in the Canberra Press Gallery,' she said. 'You can't beat that. Jacob, a very big, warm welcome aboard.' Greber's almost 30-year career spanned the globe, first working in Brisbane at the Courier-Mail covering state politics, before moving to Switzerland to cover the country's global banks and the European economy for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, and later Bloomberg News in Zurich. Of the appointment, Greber said he was excited to step into the role, adding the population 'demands clarity and insight' about the current political landscape. 'It's an incredible time to join 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson and the team,' he said in a statement from the ABC. 'Our audience rightly demands clarity and insight about the people who govern us and the challenges we face as a nation.' Tingle, who had been with 7.30 since February 2018, announced she would take up the role as global affairs editor last month. She is set to begin her role later this year, and will replace John Lyons, who was announced as the ABC Americas editor in February. Greber wished her the best in her new role. 'I also salute Laura Tingle,' he said. 'An absolute class act and fearless force of nature. I'm humbled and thrilled to pick up where she's left off.' Originally published as Jacob Greber to replace Laura Tingle as political editor on 7.30
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Pro-Hamas protester rewarded with diploma by university
International Security Expert Max Abrahms discusses how he was targeted by a pro-Hamas protester just days after the October 7 massacre. 'The Hamas terrorist massacre happened on October 7 2023, and just three days after that, before Israel had a chance to respond … a guy came to my office area in the hallway and put into my hand a flier … a pro-resistance vigil,' Mr Abrahms told Sky News host Rita Panahi. 'I was basically just targeted because I am a Jewish professor.'
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
ABC announces replacement for star journo
ABC's flagship current affairs program 7.30 has announced the replacement for star political reporter Laura Tingle, who has become the national broadcaster's global affairs editor. Jacob Greber, who joined the ABC as chief digital poetical correspondent from The Australian Financial Review less than a year ago, will take on the high-profile role from July 7. Current affairs program 7.30 has announced Jacob Greber as the replacement for star political reporter Laura Tingle, who has become the ABC's global affairs editor. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia The announcement was made by 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson, describing it as a 'very special moment'. 'With an almost 30-year career in journalism covering politics, economics and world affairs – all the things that we want – he's been a foreign correspondent as well, and got his start working as a copyboy in the Canberra Press Gallery,' she said. 'You can't beat that. Jacob, a very big, warm welcome aboard.' Greber's almost 30-year career spanned the globe, first working in Brisbane at the Courier-Mail covering state politics, before moving to Switzerland to cover the country's global banks and the European economy for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, and later Bloomberg News in Zurich. Of the appointment, Greber said he was excited to step into the role, adding the population 'demands clarity and insight' about the current political landscape. 'It's an incredible time to join 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson and the team,' he said in a statement from the ABC. 'Our audience rightly demands clarity and insight about the people who govern us and the challenges we face as a nation.' Jacob Greber will replace Laura Tingle as 7.30 political editor. ABC Credit: ABC Tingle, who had been with 7.30 since February 2018, announced she would take up the role as global affairs editor last month. She is set to begin her role later this year, and will replace John Lyons, who was announced as the ABC Americas editor in February. Greber wished her the best in her new role. 'I also salute Laura Tingle,' he said. 'An absolute class act and fearless force of nature. I'm humbled and thrilled to pick up where she's left off.'
