The Trump-backed former boxer who is Poland's new president

Yahoo

3 days ago

Karol Nawrocki, a political novice backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), has won a surprise victory in Poland's presidential election.
Mr Nawrocki won 50.89 per cent of the vote, edging out centrist candidate Rafał Trzaskowski who picked up 49.11 per cent.
The 42-year-old trailed Mr Trzaskowski for much of the campaign but surged ahead in the second round after hard-right candidates dropped out, consolidating the nationalist vote.
A former amateur boxer with a colourful past, Mr Nawrocki has close ties to the Trump White House and is likely to ruffle feathers in neighbouring capitals with his strident 'Poland First' views.
His victory is expected to prolong the political deadlock at home, following outgoing president Andrzej Duda's refusal to approve Prime Minister Donald Tusk's plans to liberalise abortion laws and reform the judiciary.
Mr Nawrocki, a trained historian, has drawn particular controversy for his stance on Ukraine.
He has pledged to block its bids to join Nato and the EU, citing unresolved grievances dating back to the Second World War.
Referring to a 1943 massacre of Poles by Ukrainian militias, Mr Nawrocki said: 'A country that cannot answer for a brutal crime against 120,000 of its neighbours cannot be part of international alliances.'
However, his victory does not signal a softening towards Russia. As head of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, he oversaw the removal of Soviet-era Red Army monuments, prompting the Kremlin to place him on a 'wanted' list.
At home, Mr Nawrocki secured support from trade unions and social conservatives. He pledged to protect the minimum wage and defend Christian values, opposing liberal calls to remove crosses from public buildings. He also won the endorsement of Poland's largest union, Solidarity, by vowing to shield coal miners from EU climate regulations.
Abroad, he is backed by the likes of Mr Trump and Hungary's autocratic leader Viktor Orbán.
Mr Trump met with Mr Nawrocki earlier this month at the White House and sent his Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a meeting of the conservative pressure group – the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) – in Poland where she offered a strong endorsement.
Ms Noem even dangled the prospect of closer US-Polish military ties in the event of a Mr Nawrocki win, with the implied warning that a Trzaskowski victory could jeopardise Poland's security.
Mr Orbán, who maintains close Kremlin ties, also gave his support to Mr Nawrocki at a CPAC meeting in Budapest on Thursday.
His win is likely to strain relations with Berlin, however, after he renewed PiS's call for wartime reparations from Germany, an issue that has long soured ties across the Oder river.
Despite his success, Mr Nawrocki's campaign was dogged by scandal. Former colleagues from his days as a doorman at a five-star hotel accused him of procuring prostitutes for guests, a claim he vehemently denied.
He was also caught using an alias to praise his own books on television and has been accused by Mr Tusk of having links to organised crime.
Mr Nawrocki's campaign also admitted he was involved in a bare-knuckle mass brawl between rival football hooligans.
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.