Polish centrist Trzaskowski slightly ahead in presidential vote, exit poll shows
A person votes during the first round of Poland's presidential election at a polling station in Krakow, Poland, May 18, 2025. Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Jakub Wlodek/via REUTERS
By Pawel Florkiewicz and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk
Rafal Trzaskowski from Poland's ruling centrists Civic Coalition (KO) was seen narrowly ahead in a presidential election first round on Sunday, an exit poll showed, setting up a close fight to determine if Poland sticks to a pro-European path.
Trzaskowski placed first with 30.8% of the vote, ahead of Karol Nawrocki, the candidate backed by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, who had 29.1%, the Ipsos exit poll showed.
If confirmed, the result would mean that Trzaskowski and Nawrocki will go head-to-head in a runoff vote on June 1 to determine whether Poland sticks to the pro-European path set by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk or moves closer to nationalist admirers of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We are going for victory. I said that it would be close and it is close," Trzaskowski told supporters. "There is a lot, a lot, of work ahead of us and we need determination."
Nawrocki also told supporters he was confident of victory in the second round.
In Poland, the president has the power to veto laws. A Trzaskowski victory in the second round would enable Tusk's government to implement an agenda that includes rolling back judicial reforms introduced by PiS that critics say undermined the independence of the courts.
However, if Nawrocki wins, the impasse that has existed since Tusk became prime minister in 2023 would be set to continue. Until now, PiS-ally President Andrzej Duda has stymied Tusk's efforts.
If the exit poll is confirmed, the other candidates in the first round, including Slawomir Mentzen from the far-right Confederation Party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the Left, will be eliminated.
Two updated polls that take into account partial official results will be published later in the evening and early on Monday morning.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
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