Poland's Tight Election Puts Europe on Alert for Another Jolt
The rift runs deep in Kobylka, a sleepy Polish town on the northern outskirts of Warsaw. So much so that it's not just streets, but families that are split over who to vote for in this weekend's presidential election runoff.
'I know households like mine, where one half supports one candidate and the other half is in favor of the other,' Klaudia Koczyk, 33, said as she took a break in a park while her newborn twin girls slept in the spring sunshine.
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Rafał Trzaskowski: Warsaw mayor with foreign policy experience
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6 hours ago
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Ukraine's farmers could decide Poland's election
Karol Nawrocki, the Right-wing candidate in Poland's presidential elections, is having a rough campaign. Over the past few weeks, he has been accused of waging street wars as a football hooligan, consorting with neo-Nazis and setting up clients with prostitutes when he worked as a hotel security guard. It is a chequered past, which, you might think, would make most Polish conservatives blush. But if anything, the snowstorm of sleaze only seems to have deepened support for Mr Nawrocki, a nationalist historian, among his populist base. 'He's being attacked right now, but none of it is true, he is a good person,' Czesława, an 80-year-old vegetable farmer, told The Telegraph as she bagged up potatoes and onions at her market stall in northern Warsaw. The string of lurid scandals reported by Polish media, over which Mr Nawrocki has threatened legal action, will do no harm to Poland's reputation on the world stage, she insists. 'He will be great for everybody because he is a great person. 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Opinion polls show the two candidates to be neck-and-neck, with one recent survey putting Mr Trzaskowski in the lead at 47 per cent, just one percentage point in front of Mr Nawrocki. Poland's role in the EU has been a key issue, along with mass migration, and the economic track record of the Tusk-led coalition, with Mr Nawrocki warning that the government is ceding too much power to Brussels. The election is also being keenly fought over social issues, with Mr Trzaskowski vowing that a victory for his centrist Civic Platform party will allow it to liberalise Polish abortion laws, some of the toughest in Europe. And while there remains widespread public support for Kyiv, the humble Ukrainian farmer has become an unlikely bête noire (black mirror) in this election campaign. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union lifted trade restrictions on Ukrainian produce which – according to some Polish farmers – is now undercutting them. 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That eurosceptic, populist streak has caught the eye of the Trump Administration. This week, Kristi Noem, president Trump's homeland security secretary, endorsed Mr Nawrocki as 'the right leader' who will 'protect and defend' Poland. Standing in central Warsaw, and handing out leaflets endorsing Mr Nawrocki – who is backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party – campaigner Oliwia Kasztelewicz, 25, also cites concerns about the creeping powers of Brussels. 'Germany and France want to have full control over the European Union,' she says, and feels scornful towards the idea of Mr Tusk having a cosy relationship with other EU leaders. 'Our prime minister [Mr Tusk] is not their friend, he is more like someone who does what they want.' But other young voters feel that scandal-ridden Mr Nawrocki would be an appalling ambassador for Poland. 'The president needs to be someone who can represent us and not be involved in scandals,' says Gosia, 20. 'Abortion is also an important issue,' she adds, referring to draconian laws in Poland which forbid terminations even in cases involving fatal foetal defects. 'We want to see liberalisation of those laws.' Mr Tusk promised to pass his abortion reforms in his first 100 days during the 2023 election campaign, but they have still not materialised. This is partly because the outgoing Right-wing Law and Justice party president, Mr Duda, wielded a veto over them. But critics point out that Mr Tusk also lacked the required numbers in parliament to pass them. 'I'm not super interested in politics, but Nawrocki is too conservative for me,' says Nikola, 18. 'I will probably vote for the same person as my parents [for Trzaskowski].' Katarzyna Maciejewska, 40, is also weary of the constant stream of sleaze allegations appearing in Polish news articles. They include claims that Mr Nawrocki used to source prostitutes for guests at a luxury hotel where he worked as a security guard, which he strongly denies. Mr Nawrocki has also been accused of having links to gangsters and neo-Nazis, and taking part in organised street brawls in his youth as a football hooligan. He has not denied the football hooligan allegations and has suggested his links to far-Right extremists stem from his work as a history lecturer in prisons. 'I'm in shock, he is totally stained by these scandals,' Ms Maciejewska adds. 'I am voting more and more for pro-European parties. I was raised in Belarus, so the idea that my vote counts is kind of a pleasant surprise for me.' Inside the old Civic Platform offices of Mr Tusk himself, which now serve as the party's youth wing, a dozen activists have set up a war room where they are recording and publishing a digital campaign video every hour. 'I got involved because of women's rights,' says Stanisław Mikołajczuk, 21, taking a quick break from uploading the punchy videos to Instagram and Tiktok. 'In 2020 there was a change to abortion law that made abortion in Poland nearly impossible. We need a president who will sign it [the reforms].' With the two candidates neck-and-neck in the polls, his youthful team is braced for an extremely tense election night, with the results set to trickle in through the early hours and well into the next morning. 'We are seeing really uncertain times in Poland,' he says, before heading back into the recording room to make more campaign videos. 'The future of our country is at stake.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
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Poles will decide between Warsaw's pro-EU mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki Opinion polls have predicted a close race, with Nawrocki at 50.1% and Trzaskowski at 49.9% Trzaskowski narrowly won the first round of voting on May 18 The result could have major implications for Poland, a NATO and European Union member Polish presidents can veto government bills and are also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces Here's the latest news and updates on Poland's presidential runoff on June 1, 2025: Poland will go to the polls today to vote in a runoff presidential election between two candidates with starkly different visions for the country. Voters will choose between pro-EU Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki, supported by the opposition Law and Justice party. The winner will succeed incumbent President Andrzej Duda. DW will be tracking the latest developments and bringing you multimedia content and analysis on the vote.
