Latest news with #Tusk
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
In Poland, presidential hopefuls battle for young voters who don't like them
In a first round of voting on May 18, voters aged 18 to 29 overwhelmingly supported antiestablishment candidates who failed to make it to the runoff. They mostly shunned the candidates competing Sunday, who represent Poland's two dominant political parties -- Civic Platform, led by Tusk; and Law and Justice, the former governing party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The runoff pits Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw who is backed by Tusk's party, against Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist historian and former boxer supported by Law and Justice. Advertisement Coming only two weeks after a presidential election in Romania in which voters chose a centrist over a hard-right admirer of President Trump, Poland's vote is being closely watched in Europe and the United States as a test of right-wing populism's staying power. 'Don't let the globalists and unelected bureaucrats steal your elections, as they did in Romania,' George Simion, the defeated hard-right candidate in Romania, told a gathering in Poland this past week of the American Conservative Political Action Conference. Kristi Noem, Trump's homeland security secretary who also spoke at the event, endorsed the Law and Justice candidate. Advertisement What American and European fans of Trump see as a climactic battle between left and right is seen by many young Polish voters as an infuriating rerun of a decades-old struggle. 'You only get angry looking at system politicians,' said Jan Stachura, 20, a student in Tychy, a town in Poland's former industrial heartland in the southwestern region of Silesia. He said he had voted for neither of Sunday's contenders in the first round on May 18 and did not know whether he would even bother to vote in the runoff. His brother, Wojciech, 24, an IT manager, said he did not vote in the first round and probably would not on Sunday. Given the grip of the two main parties, he said, 'I don't believe my vote can change anything.' Tusk, 68, and Kaczynski, 75, first entered politics more than 40 years ago when Poland was still a Soviet satellite. After Poland joined the European Union in 2004 -- 15 years after communism collapsed -- they emerged as leaders of two hostile camps: one committed to embracing the values and rules of the European Union, the other infused with nationalism and fealty to the Roman Catholic Church. They have rotated in and out of power since, leaving Polish politics in a repetitive loop. Kaczynski accuses Tusk of being a 'German agent' more interested in serving Berlin and Brussels than ordinary Poles. Tusk has attacked his rival as a populist reactionary intent on dismantling democracy and withdrawing Poland from the European Union. Advertisement Trzaskowski won the first round barely ahead of Nawrocki. Whether Trzaskowski can prevail on Sunday depends heavily on how young voters who backed the far right and leftists in the first round cast their ballots. A widespread plague-on-both-your-houses feeling among younger Poles has brought unusual volatility to politics, said Tomasz Slupik, a political-science professor at the University of Silesia. Only 22 percent of voters under 30, according to exit poll data, cast their ballots in the first round for the two candidates competing on Sunday. Nearly 70 percent voted instead for far-right candidates and fringe leftists, with more than half of them supporting Slawomir Mentzen, a libertarian who is hostile to Ukrainian refugees, taxes, and the European Union. 'This might be the beginning of the end of Poland's party duopoly,' Slupik said. Young voters' disillusionment, he added, was partly the rebellious spirit of youth amplified by social media. But, he added, it also reflected a deeper erosion of trust across generations, despite Poland's booming economy and its emergence as a diplomatic and military player in Europe. The Polish presidency has no say in setting policy, but its veto power over legislation passed by the government allowed the departing president, Andrzej Duda, an ally of Kaczynski, to thwart much of Tusk's agenda. Victory for Nawrocki on Sunday would probably mean more trench warfare between the rival camps, hobbling Tusk's ability to govern and clouding his party's prospects in the next parliamentary election in 2027. Speaking at a rally for Trzaskowski in Warsaw last weekend, Tusk warned this would bring disaster, describing Nawrocki as a 'gangster' unfit for the presidency. 'Poland, wake up! This cannot be!' he said. Advertisement Anna Liebner, 29, a Tychy resident who manages fiber optic networks, said she voted in the first round for Adrian Zandberg, a leftist who came in sixth in the first round. Liebner liked some of his policy ideas, including higher taxes on the wealthy. Kamil Poczta, 30, an IT worker, said he, too, had voted for Zandberg in the hope of breaking the Civic Platform-Law and Justice cycle. Nonetheless, Poczta and Liebner both said they would vote for Trzaskowski. More uncertain is which way Mentzen's voters, mostly young men, will jump, though a recent opinion poll indicated that around 65 percent of them would vote for Nawrocki. If that turns out to be accurate, Nawrocki could well win. This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Polish knife-edge presidential vote pits liberal mayor against conservative
Poles will vote for a new president on Sunday in a tight election that will have major consequences for the future of the country's pro-EU government. Opinion polls say Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and national conservative historian Karol Nawrocki are running neck and neck. Poland's president is a largely ceremonial role, but it does come with significant negative power. The president has the right to veto legislation, and the coalition government lacks a big enough parliamentary majority to overturn it. Karol Nawrocki is a staunch opponent of Donald Tusk's coalition, and he is expected to use the veto as much if not more frequently than the incumbent conservative President Andrzej Duda, who cannot run for a third consecutive term. Tusk has been unable to deliver many of his campaign promises since taking office 18 months ago due to Duda's veto and divisions within his coalition which includes conservatives, centrists and leftists. Tusk promised Polish women legal abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy and voters he would repair the rule of law in the judiciary. Many critics say Poland's top courts were politicised under the previous Law and Justice-led (PiS) government that lost power in late 2023. On both issues, Tusk has made little headway. After narrowly winning the election's first round on 18 May, Rafal Trzaskowski pledged to co-operate with the government to accomplish both. Whichever candidate mobilises their voters in Sunday's second round run-off will be key to who becomes the next president. Another significant factor is who can attract the votes of two far-right candidates who placed third and fourth in the first round. The anti-establishment candidates received three times as many votes as they did in the last presidential election in 2020. While those voters support Nawrocki's socially conservative views, some libertarians disagree with his support for generous state benefits for the less well-off. Both candidates led large, rival patriotic marches in Warsaw last Sunday to show who had the biggest support. Almost all the participants at Nawrocki's rally carried the red-and-white Polish flag. No-one had the blue EU flag. One banner read "Enough of Tusk's [demolition] of democracy". Magdalena and her sister Marta said Nawrocki's patriotism was important. "We care first for our family, then the nation and after that the world," Magdalena told me. "A lot of politicians say, 'Oh, we can't do that because what will the Germans think about us?' Sorry, I don't care what they think," she said. Karol Nawrocki, 42, is head of the Institute of National Remembrance, a state body that investigates crimes dating back to the communist era and World War Two. He was relatively unknown nationally before he was picked by PiS to run. According to the CBOS polling company, voters view him as someone who supports traditional Catholic values and stands up for average Poles, including small farmers who consider themselves threatened by the EU's Green Deal limiting the use of chemicals and greenhouse gases. His typical voter is seen as aged over 40, conservative and family-oriented and living in the countryside or small towns and cities. Previously he was director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk where he changed the exhibition to emphasise Polish heroism and suffering during the conflict. A keen amateur footballer and boxer, he likes to publish images of himself working out on social media. His strongman image has been pushed by Polish and foreign politicians alike. Ex-PM Mateusz Morawiecki posting a mock-up of Nawrocki as a Polish Captain America on social media. Supporter Magdalena said he wasn't particularly charismatic, but Poland needed "a strong man who will be stable when he's pushed by the world". Earlier this week, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem flew to a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Poland to endorse him as a "strong leader" like President Donald Trump. "I just had the opportunity to meet with Karol and listen, he needs to be the next president of Poland," she said five days ahead of the vote. Noem said his rival Trzaskowski was "an absolute train wreck of a leader". Nawrocki's campaign has been bedevilled by revelations from his relatively unknown past, although so far the allegations appear not to have damaged his support. He does not deny taking part in football hooligan brawls, and has called them "noble fights". But in that he is not alone, as several years ago Donald Tusk spoke of taking part in similar fights as a young man. However he has strongly denied a series of other allegations - that he had links with gangsters and neo-Nazis; that he took advantage of an ill senior citizen to acquire his council flat at a huge discount; and that he helped arrange prostitutes for guests at the luxury Grand Hotel in the seaside resort of Sopot when he worked there as a security guard. Nawrocki has said he will donate the flat to charity and threatened to sue the news website that published the prostitute story because it was a "pack of lies". Many of his supporters think the the stories were made up by the mainstream media, which they see as largely pro-Trzaskowski. Shaking off the revelations, Nawrocki posted a video on social media set to an old Chumbawamba song, with the chorus, "I get knocked down, but I get up again". Trzaskowski's supporters have been more inclined to believe the allegations, with one man in Warsaw holding a banner reading: "No to the gangster". The son of a famous jazz pianist, the 53-year-old mayor of Warsaw is deputy leader of Donald Tusk's centrist Civic Platform party. He is also speaks multiple languages who once served as Europe minister. He was joined in last Sunday's march in Warsaw by another liberal mayor who won the Romanian presidency earlier this month. Nicusur Dan told supporters they shared the same values of a united and strong European Union. According to CBOS, Trzaskowski's typical voter is in his 30s, fairly well-off and lives in a city. Voters see him as having left-liberal views supporting LGBT and migrants' rights. While his opponents see Trzaskowski as part of Poland's privileged elite, supporter Malgorzata, a statistician, told me he was "an intelligent, professional European. That's enough to be a president of Poland". Against a backdrop of war in neighbouring Ukraine and the Tusk government's tough stance against illegal migration, Trzaskowski has portrayed himself, artificially according to some voters, as a man who believes in a strong nation state and patriotism. Another supporter, Bartosz, said he wanted Poland to remain safely anchored in Europe. "We know history. In 1939, we counted on Britain and France, but nobody came. If we are partners with Europe politically and economically, then it's in their interests to support us," he said. Warsaw's liberal mayor narrowly wins Polish presidential vote Polish voters set for tight presidential race after 10 years of Duda Polish presidential candidate ridiculed for donning disguise to promote book
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Poland's World-Beating Rally Is Facing an Election Reality Check
Revved-up Polish markets will be put to the test this weekend as voters head to the polls in the biggest challenge facing Premier Donald Tusk. Polish assets have been on a blistering surge since Tusk swept to power in late 2023 with a promise to repair relations with the European Union and undo populist policy. Government bonds have returned 27% in the period, the zloty is the best-performing emerging currency after the ruble and Warsaw stocks are up 42% in dollar terms this year alone.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chelsea and Real Betis fans clash in Wroclaw before Conference League final
Riot police in the Polish city of Wroclaw deployed a water cannon on Chelsea and Real Betis supporters after trouble broke out before the Uefa Conference League final. The two sets of supporters were involved in clashes on Tuesday night, leading to some Spaniards being detained, and on Wednesday afternoon. The atmosphere in the city centre was tense in the hours before the game, with police and officers in military clothing deployed to restore order after clashes in bars near the market square. There were 28 arrests made. Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, warned supporters that police would be 'even more ruthless' if further violence took place. 'Zero tolerance for violence on our streets!' Tusk wrote on X. 'I thank the police for their decisive actions against the hooligans in Chelsea and Betis shirts in Wrocław. We warn you: if necessary, the police will be even more ruthless today!' Related: Pellegrini and Betis familiar pawns in Maresca's search for winning move The local authorities were forced to act after bottles and smoke bombs were thrown by groups of rivals fans, forcing police with shields to move in to keep people apart. Water cannon was used and videos of fans throwing chairs and beer mugs at each other were circulated on social media. One man, who was wearing a Chelsea badge and appeared to have a Chelsea tattoo on his leg, was seen bloodied after being involved in an altercation with apparent Betis supporters. One photograph showed the man being attacked by a belt-wielding assailant. There were also interventions on Tuesday night after trouble erupted. Footage on social media showed police using pepper spray on Chelsea supporters. The Gazeta Wroclawska reported that a brawl happened at about 11pm in the city's market square, leaving it resembling 'a battlefield' before the mess was cleaned up overnight. The Polish outlet reported that four Spanish supporters were detained by police on Tuesday. Officers were searching for nine other supporters involved in brawls. 'The uniformed officers reacted immediately after the incident, which prevented further escalation of the conflict and negative behavior,' said Senior Constable Lukasz Dutkowiak from the provincial police headquarters in Wroclaw. Anna Zabska, the governor of Lower Silesia, said: 'We strongly condemn the violent behaviour of hooligans involved in today's street disturbances in Wrocław. Such actions have no place in sport or public life. Police have acted swiftly, and all responsible will face legal consequences. Public safety remains our top priority.'
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Poland's pro-European course is at stake in presidential election run-off
Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, the presidential candidate of the Civic Coalition, attends the \"Patriotic March\" organised by the ruling party, ahead of the second round of presidential elections, in Warsaw, Poland, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Poland's pro-European course is at stake in presidential election run-off WARSAW - Poland holds a presidential election run-off on Sunday, with the ruling party's candidate, liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, facing nationalist Karol Nawrocki, in a vote crucial for the country's pro-European course. Prime Minister Donald Tusk swept to power in 2023 with a broad alliance of leftist and centrist parties, on a promise to undo changes made by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government that the European Union said had undermined democracy and women's and minority rights. However, reforms have been slow, mainly because - the government contends - Poland's outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has been vetoing bills. Below are the key issues at stake in the presidential contest. SOCIAL ISSUES Tusk won the 2023 parliamentary vote partly on promises to end a near-total ban on abortion introduced by the socially conservative PiS government. Tusk and the Left promised to allow abortion on demand until 12 weeks and restore the right to termination in case of foetal abnormalities, but the coalition was unable to agree on a bill. It also argued that Duda would veto any liberalisation. Nawrocki has said he would not sign any bill liberalising the right to abortion, even in the case of foetal abnormalities. Trzaskowski has promised to fight for women's rights and to back a bill that would liberalise "this medieval abortion law". Trzaskowski is also in favour of a bill on same-sex unions while Nawrocki has said he would not sign such legislation. Seeking to lure voters both from the Left as well as pro-market liberals, Trzaskowski has vowed to support affordable housing initiatives while getting rid of red tape for small businesses on the other. RULE OF LAW During its two terms in government from 2015 to 2023, PiS introduced a series of judicial reforms which Brussels said undermined the rule of law and critics blamed for chaos in the judiciary. The European Union's top court ruled that a new procedure for appointing judges did not guarantee their impartiality, opening the way for their rulings to be questioned. The Constitutional Tribunal issued rulings stating that Poland's constitution had primacy over EU law, undermining a key principle of the Union. Brussels took Poland to court over the ruling, and the current government does not recognise it. However, Tusk's efforts to roll back the changes have so far failed, blocked by Duda who keeps appointing judges under PiS rules. Nawrocki has signalled he supports PiS's changes, suggesting that the deadlock would continue if he wins, while Trzaskowski would support the government's efforts to reverse them. Duda also blocked the government's efforts to bring PiS politicians to justice, pardoning two members of the former government sentenced for abuse of power in their previous roles. Critics have said Nawrocki could come under pressure from PiS to pardon its politicians. Trzaskowski said he would not pardon any politicians convicted of wrongdoing. UKRAINE While Nawrocki supports giving military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion, he is opposed to Kyiv joining Western alliances such as NATO. Nawrocki rejects suggestions that his stance is pro-Russian, while also saying that Poland has the right to raise sensitive issues with Kyiv such as exhumations of the remains of Polish victims killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two. Trzaskowski says it is in Poland's own interests that Ukraine becomes a NATO member. EUROPEAN UNION Nawrocki vows to resist what he sees as efforts by Tusk and Trzaskowski to promote a European super-state, cede Polish national prerogatives to Brussels and undermine the country's security relationship with the United States. Trzaskowski says his strongly pro-EU stance will boost Poland's influence in Brussels and that this will translate into benefits including more funds for Polish security. Both candidates support the Trump administration's demand for Europeans to spend much more on defence - Poland spends almost 5% of national output on defence, the highest level in NATO - but Nawrocki prioritises closer security ties with the U.S., while Trzaskowski favours a greater European focus. AFTER THE ELECTION A win on Sunday for Nawrocki would undermine Tusk's political project and could be a prelude to the return of PiS to power in 2027 or even earlier if the ruling centrist coalition crumbles and a snap election is held. Victory for Trzaskowski would mean Tusk's coalition has an ally in the presidential palace, enabling it to streamline key legislation and also to move forward on some foreign policy issues, including nominating new ambassadors. Regardless of the outcome, Tusk has said he wants to renegotiate the coalition agreement and reshuffle his team after the presidential election to make it leaner and more efficient. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
