Pro-EU and MAGA visions clash in Poland's closely fought presidential runoff
By Alan Charlish
WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland holds a knife-edge presidential election on Sunday which will determine whether the largest country in the European Union's eastern wing cements its place in the bloc's mainstream or turns towards MAGA-style nationalism.
Turnout holds the key to the contest between Rafal Trzaskowski of ruling centrists Civic Coalition (KO), who holds a narrow lead, and Karol Nawrocki, backed by nationalists Law and Justice (PiS).
Parliament holds most power in Poland but the president can veto legislation so the vote is being watched closely in neighbouring Ukraine, as well as in Russia, the U.S. and across the EU.
Both candidates agree on the need to spend heavily on defence, as U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding from Europe, and to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's three-year-old invasion.
But while Trzaskowski sees Ukraine's future membership of NATO as essential for Poland's security, Nawrocki has recently said he would not ratify it as president as this could draw the alliance into a war with Russia.
Trzaskowski says strong relations with both Brussels and Washington are essential for Poland's security, but Nawrocki, who met Trump in the White House in May, prioritises relations with the United States.
If Nawrocki wins, he is likely to follow a similar path to President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally who has used his veto power to block the government's efforts to undo the previous PiS administration's judicial reforms which the EU says undermined the independence of the courts.
Coming around a year-and-a half since Prime Minister Donald Tusk took office, the vote provides the stiffest test yet of support for his broad coalition government, with Nawrocki presenting the ballot as a referendum on its actions.
Voting begins at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and is due to end at 9 p.m., with exit polls published soon afterwards. The electoral commission says it hopes final results will be announced on Monday morning or early afternoon.
Opinion polls show that the difference between the candidates is within the margin of error.
In 2023, huge queues outside polling stations in large cities forced some to stay open later than planned. Analysts said that high participation by younger, liberal, urban Poles was crucial in securing a majority for Tusk.
Trzaskowski is hoping that such scenes will be repeated on Sunday.
"Encourage everyone, so that as many Poles as possible vote in the presidential election," he told a rally in Wloclawek, central Poland, on Friday.
Nawrocki, who draws inspiration from United States President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, told supporters in Biala Podlaska in the country's east that "these elections could be decided by single votes".
SOCIAL ISSUES
The two candidates also differ on social issues, with Trzaskowski favouring the liberalisation of abortion laws and introduction of civil partnerships for LGBT couples, while Nawrocki says predominantly Catholic Poland should reject such moves.
The first round of the election on May 18 saw a surge in support for the anti-establishment far-right, suggesting that the KO-PiS duopoly that has dominated Polish politics for a generation may be starting to fracture.
Nevertheless, after a tumultuous campaign in which Nawrocki in particular faced a slew of negative media reports about his alleged past conduct, once again candidates representing the two main parties are facing off in the second round.
PiS has traditionally enjoyed high support in small towns and rural areas, especially in the south and east. These areas are typically more socially conservative than larger cities and poorer, creating a sense of exclusion that PiS has tapped into.
"They want to build a Poland for the elites," Nawrocki told voters in Biala Podlaska, referring to his opponents from KO.
"I am simply one of you, I am a citizen of the Polish state who has travelled a long road to be able to today face a person who is the creation of a political laboratory!"
KO, meanwhile, campaigns on a pro-European centrist agenda that appeals to more liberal-minded Poles who mainly live in cities or bigger towns.
Trzaskowski took heart from the turnout at a rally in Ciechanow, central Poland.
"Looking at this mobilisation, I see how much hope you have - hope in a future in which Poland plays a leading role in the European Union," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
EU readying 'countermeasures' if tariffs deal with US crumbles
BARCELONA (AP) — The European Union on Monday said it is preparing 'countermeasures' against the United States after the Trump administration's surprise tariffs on steel rattled global markets and complicated the ongoing wider tariff negotiations between Brussels and Washington. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed last week to 'accelerate talks' on a deal, but that if those trade negotiations fail 'then we are also prepared to accelerate our work on the defensive side,' European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told a press conference in Brussels. 'In the event that our negotiations do not lead to a balanced outcome, the EU is prepared to impose countermeasures, including in response to this latest tariff increase,' Gill said. He said the EU is finalizing an 'expanded list of countermeasures' that would 'automatically take effect on July 14 or earlier.' That's the date when a 90-day pause, intended to ease negotiations, ends in tariffs announced by the two economic powerhouses on each other. About halfway through that grace period, Trump announced a 50% tariffs on steel imports. Trump's return to the White House has come with an unrivaled barrage of tariffs, with levies threatened, added and, often, taken away. Top officials at the EU's executive commission says they're pushing hard for a trade deal to avoid a 50% tariff on imported goods. The EU could possibly buy more liquefied natural gas and defense items from the U.S., as well as lower duties on cars, but it isn't likely to budge on calls to scrap the value added tax — which is akin to a sales tax — or open up the EU to American beef. The EU has offered the US a 'zero for zero' outcome in which tariffs would be removed on both sides industrial goods including autos. Trump has dismissed that but EU officials have said it's still on the table. The announcement Friday of a staggering 50% levy on steel imports stoked fear that big-ticket purchases from cars to washing machines to houses could see major price increases. But those metals are so ubiquitous in packaging, they're likely to pack a punch across consumer products from soup to nuts.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EU says it will make strong case for US tariff cuts this week
By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission said on Monday it would make a strong case this week for the United States to reduce or eliminate tariffs even after Donald Trump said he would double import duties on steel and aluminium to 50%. European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at an OECD gathering in Paris on Wednesday, while Commission technical teams will be in discussions with counterparts in Washington this week. The Commission, which oversees trade policy for the 27-nation European Union, said it was prioritising negotiations to resolve the conflict. "We don't want to go down the route of tariffs. Rather than have them increase, we want them to decrease and where possible eliminate them," a Commission spokesperson told a press conference on Monday. "That remains the case, that remains our priority. We will be making that case strongly both at technical level and at political level this week." The EU has said it strongly regrets the planned doubling of steel tariffs. The EU currently faces 25% tariffs on steel and cars and for Trump and "reciprocal" tariffs on most EU goods, which were provisionally set at 20% for the EU but is being held at 10% during a 90-day pause until July. The EU imposed, but immediately suspended, a first set of counter tariffs on 21 billion euros ($24 billion) of annual U.S. imports package in response to U.S. metals duties. It is also weighing a response to the U.S. car and broader tariffs that would hit up to 95 billion euros of U.S. imports. The Commission said that, in the absence of a mutually acceptable solution, these countermeasures would take effect automatically on July 14, or earlier if circumstances require. ($1 = 0.8759 euros)
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
US stock futures lower after Trump steel, aluminum tariff threats
US stock futures lower after Trump steel, aluminum tariff threats Show Caption Hide Caption Court blocks Trump's tariffs, saying they exceed legal authority A trade court blocked President Donald Trump's tariffs, saying they exceed his legal authority. U.S. stock futures are lower after President Donald Trump announced plans to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, and with all eyes on key economic data, tax legislation and tariffs. Not only will investors follow the twists and turns of tariff policy - last week a federal court halted Trump's most aggressive tariffs only to see them reinstated by an appeals court hours later - but they'll also look for clues on how the tariff drama has affected the economy. Trade tensions with China have also risen again after Trump last week accused China of violating terms of a tariff pause agreed upon in May. Late last week, Trump said he was doubling tariffs on steel imports to 50% from 25%, effectiive June 4. A European Union spokesperson said the EU is 'prepared to impose countermeasures, including in response to the latest U.S. tariff increase.' The May jobs report is due at the end of the week and could provide insight into how businesses are handling the threat of much higher pr. Economists, on average, expect the U.S. economy added 130,00le0 nonfarm payroll jobs while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, according to Bloomberg. In April, the U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs with the unemployment rate at 4.2%. "Firms likely paused the hiring of trade and transportation workers but given elevated uncertainty about the steady state on tariffs, we don't think they would have already started shedding workers," said Antonio Gabriel, global economist at Bank of America Securities. While waiting for more clarity on tariffs and the economy, investors also will continue to track Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill tax legislation that's in the hands of Senators now. The House passed the bill by a single vote. At 6 a.m. ET, futures linked to the blue-chip Dow fell -0.58%, while broad S&P 500 futures slipped -0.65% and tech-heavy Nasdaq futures dropped -0.78%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes ended higher last week to post in May the their biggest monthly gain since November 2023. Oil prices jump Oil prices rose over the weekend amid escalating strikes between Russia and Ukraine. In the latest attack, Ukraine allegedly destroyed more than 40 planes well within Russian territory, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Hamas rejected a ceasefire deal with Israel, and dozens of Gazans are killed on their way to pick up aid. The geopolitical tensions overshadowed another big increase of 411,000 barrels per day for July from oil producing countries, which would have normally depressed oil prices. Corporate news Moderna's low-dose COVID vaccine mNexspike received Food and Drug Administration approval for adults 65 and older and people age 12 to 64 who have a least one health condition that puts them at increased risk from the coronavirus. This story was updated with new information. Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
