Polish presidential election: Eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki wins vote, officials say

Irish Times

3 days ago

Polish
nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki won the second round of the country's presidential election with 50.89 per cent of the votes, the electoral commission said early on Monday on its website.
His rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal Warsaw mayor and an ally of the government led by
Donald Tusk
, got 49.11 per cent.
Mr Nawrocki (42), a Eurosceptic historian and amateur boxer who ran a national remembrance institute, campaigned on a promise to ensure economic and social policies favour Poles over other nationalities, including refugees from neighbouring Ukraine.
While Poland's parliament holds most power, the president can veto legislation, and the vote was being watched closely in Ukraine as well as Russia, the United States and across the European Union.
READ MORE
On social media platform X, current president Andrzej Duda, also a conservative, thanked Poles for going to vote in large numbers. Turnout was 71.31 per cent, the electoral commission said, a record for the second round of a presidential election.
'Thank you! For participating in the presidential elections. For the turnout. For fulfilling your civic duty. For taking responsibility for Poland. Congratulations to the winner! Stay strong Poland!' Mr Duda wrote.
Mr Nawrocki's candidacy was backed by the right-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which ruled Poland until Mr Tusk's victory in parliamentary elections in late 2023.
Given the president's veto power, Mr Nawrocki's victory will make it difficult for the government to pass any big reforms before the 2027 parliamentary election.
Mr Nawrocki's win was a dramatic reversal of projections, after an exit poll, published as voting concluded, appeared to show Mr Trzaskowski would edge the contest with a 0.6 per cent advantage. That prompted Mr Trzaskowski to declare victory on stage at his campaign headquarters.
'We've won!' he announced to whoops and cheers from the crowd. 'This is truly a special moment in Poland's history. I am convinced that it will allow us to move forward and focus on the future,' he said.
In a speech at his own campaign headquarters, Mr Nawrocki did not concede, saying he remained confident he would win when all the votes were counted. 'We will win and save Poland,' he said. 'We must win tonight.'
During a bitterly fought and often bad-tempered campaign in recent weeks, the two men have offered very different visions of Poland, and the result of the race will have enormous implications for the country's political future, given the president's ability to veto government legislation.
Mr Trzaskowski, the pro-European, progressive mayor of Warsaw, supports the liberalisation of abortion laws and the introduction of civil partnerships for LGBT couples.
Mr Nawrocki has firmly rejected these moves and would probably veto any moves to implement them.
The runoff came after neither candidate achieved more than 50 per cent of votes in a crowded first-round vote two weeks ago. Mr Nawrocki will replace the outgoing president, PiS ally Mr Duda, who will step down in August after completing two terms.
Mr Tusk's time as prime minister has been marked by difficulties bringing his broad coalition into line, made harder by having an ideologically opposed president in office.
While the presidential role is largely ceremonial, it does have some influence over foreign and defence policy, as well as the critical power to veto new legislation. This can only be overturned with a 60 per cent majority in parliament, which Mr Tusk's government does not have. – Agencies