Poles vote for a new president as security concerns loom large
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poles are voting Sunday in a presidential election at a time of heightened security concerns stemming from the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine and growing worry that the U.S. commitment to Europe's security could be weakening under President Donald Trump.
The top two front-runners are Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian with no prior political experience who is supported by the national conservative Law and Justice party.
Recent opinion polls show Trzaskowski with around 30% support and Nawrocki in the mid-20s. A second round between the two is widely expected to take place on June 1.
The election is also a test of the strength of other forces, including the far right.
Sławomir Mentzen, a hard-right candidate who blends populist MAGA rhetoric with libertarian economics and a critical stance toward the European Union, has been polling in third place.
Ten other candidates are also on the ballot. With such a crowded field and a requirement that a candidate receive more than 50% of the vote to win outright, a second round seemed all but inevitable.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500GMT) and close at 9 p.m. (1900GMT). Exit polls will be released when voting ends, with results expected by Tuesday, possibly Monday.
Polish authorities have reported attempts at foreign interference during the campaign, including denial-of-service attacks targeting parties in Tusk's coalition on Friday and allegations by a state research institute that political ads on Facebook were funded from abroad.
Although Poland's prime minister and parliament hold primary authority over domestic policy, the presidency carries substantial power. The president serves as commander of the armed forces, plays a role in foreign and security policy, and can veto legislation.
The conservative outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, has repeatedly used that power over more than the past year to hamper Tusk's agenda, for example blocking ambassadorial nominations and using his veto power to resist reversing judicial and media changes made during Law and Justice's time in power from 201 to late 2023.
A Trzaskowski victory could be expected to end such a standoff. He has pledged to support reforms to the courts and public media, both of which critics say were politicized under Law and Justice. Tusk's opponents say he has also politicized public media.
Nawrocki, who leads a state historical institute, has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national sovereignty.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Police arrest ‘Billboard Chris,' Christian activist in EU capital for denouncing child transgender treatments
Belgian police arrested a prominent conservative activist and an Alliance Defending Freedom International employee in the European Union capital of Brussels on Thursday while they were displaying signs opposing transgender medical treatment for kids. Chris Elston, also known as "Billboard Chris," and ADF International official Lois McLatchie Miller were detained by Brussels police while protesting gender-affirming care for children. They were released after several hours and not charged but were instructed to destroy their signs. "Chris and I were arrested for stating a simple truth in public: no child is born in the wrong body. I called the police because we were being surrounded and felt threatened. But instead of addressing the aggression of the mob, the police arrested us—two people standing peacefully with signs, open to conversation," McLatchie Miller told Fox News Digital. "That this happened in the heart of Europe is deeply troubling. If speaking up for children is now grounds for arrest, then our freedom to speak the truth on any important issue is truly in danger," the ADF International employee added. Elston, well known for wearing billboards decrying transgender medical treatment for children out in public, stood out in the streets of the Belgian capital alongside McLatchie Miller. Both wore billboards, with the ADF employee's sign reading, "Children are never born in the wrong body" and Elston's reading, "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers." According to ADF International's press release, the signs drew a crowd of onlookers, some of whom got aggressive. In a video recorded before their arrest, Elston showed Brussels police forming a ring around him and his colleague to keep onlookers from getting too close. "And we have quite a scene unfolding in Brussels, Belgium," Elston said in the recording. "We have been getting incredibly harassed for about the last hour. We've remained perfectly calm as always, having conversations about what is the greatest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history." Elston continued, saying they were the ones who called the police to protect them from harassment; however, he noted that the officers then ordered them to put away their signs. "We called the police because a man was harassing and following Lois everywhere she went, trying to stop us from filming. The police have now arrived, and they've told me I have to put – and Lois – they've told us we have to put our signs away. I have refused. He said I was violating the law. I said, 'What law?' He can't name it," he said. Elston added that he was told he was going to be arrested, stating, "So I said, 'That's fine. Go ahead.'" ADF International's press release stated the two were eventually arrested and taken to two separate police stations, where they were "ordered to remove their clothes and searched." They were released several hours later. In a statement, ADF International executive director Paul Coleman ripped Brussels' government for the action. "The Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against those who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of a mob," he said. "This is the type of authoritarianism we challenge in other parts of the world, and it's deeply disturbing to see it here in the very heart of Europe. While we are grateful our colleague has been safely released, we are deeply concerned by her treatment at the hands of the police in Brussels," Coleman added. Fox News Digital reached out to the Belgian police for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Musk's Empire at Risk After Trump Feud Opens Multi-Front Fight
What began as Elon Musk's embrace of right-wing populism has become a defining — and potentially harmful — chapter in his business career. By endorsing Donald Trump's MAGA movement and far-right parties in Europe, Musk alienated a big portion of his original customer base, eroding Tesla's brand, sales and market share around the globe. Then came this week's rupture: a personal and public breakup with Trump that prompted threats of retaliation from a man with control over the world's most powerful government.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
Iran warns European powers against 'strategic mistake' at nuclear watchdog
Iran warned Britain, France and Germany against making a mistake regarding its nuclear programme. The European powers are considering a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance. Iran insisted that it had demonstrated cooperation with the IAEA. Iran warned European powers on Friday against backing a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency next week accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a 'strategic mistake'. 'Instead of engaging in good faith, the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, referring to Britain, France and Germany. 'Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights.' The warning from Iran's top diplomat comes as the three European governments prepare to join Washington in backing a censure resolution at next week's board meeting, a diplomatic source told AFP. The resolution would accuse Iran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations and carries the threat of referral to the UN Security Council if Tehran 'does not show goodwill', the source added. READ | Iran warns Israel, US against any attack on its nuclear sites Araghchi said Tehran had demonstrated 'years of good cooperation with the IAEA - resulting in a resolution which shut down malign claims of a 'possible military dimension' (PMD) to Iran's peaceful nuclear programme'. 'My country is once again accused of 'non-compliance',' he added, blaming 'shoddy and politicised reporting'. Filippo Monteforte/AFP The criticism follows a quarterly report from the IAEA last week which cited a 'general lack of cooperation' from Iran and raised concerns over undeclared nuclear material. Tehran rejected the report as politically motivated and based on 'forged documents' it said had been provided by its arch foe Israel. The pressure on Iran comes amid indirect talks with the US, mediated by Oman since 12 April, to forge a new nuclear agreement between the longtime foes. The two sides have been publicly at odds over uranium enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors or, in highly extended form, the material for a nuclear warhead. Atta Kenare/AFP Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the issue is 'non-negotiable'. But in a post on his Truth Social network on Monday, US President Donald Trump said the United States 'WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM' by Iran. Tehran and Washington are seeking a new agreement to replace a 2015 deal with major powers which Trump unilaterally abandoned during his first term in 2018. Ufuk Celal Guzel/Anadolu via Getty Images The agreement quickly unravelled as Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions and Tehran began walking back its own commitments a year later. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, well above the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 deal but below the 90% threshold required for a nuclear warhead. Britain, France and Germany, which were all party to the 2015 deal, are considering whether to trigger a 'snapback' of UN sanctions under its dispute resolution mechanism - an option that expires on the deal's 10th anniversary in October.
