Rabat – The Polish presidential run-off elections have reached their conclusion, resulting in a narrow victory for Karol Nawrocki, who won against liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, by 50.89%.
This is a major victory for populism in the Visegrad Group, which political pundits argue threatens the stability of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s center-right government.
Nawrocki is a Polish historian who studies anti-Communist opposition in Poland. He stood as an independent candidate but was backed by the Law and Justice Party (PIS). His opponent was Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal Warsaw mayor, who is a member of the Civic Platform party led by Tusk.
Karol Nawrocki is a populist figure who champions Christian nationalism, and questions have been raised about his support for Ukraine. He is only the latest populist figure in the Visegrad group to be elected to power. Other populist leaders in Eastern Europe include Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan.
In the first round of the election, held on the May 18, Trzaskowski was ahead with 31.3% of the vote against Nawrocki on 29.5%.
However, the election polls had been narrowing in the last few weeks of the election campaign and looked extremely close between the two candidates.
The exit poll showed Trzaskowski ahead, and he came out to claim victory, but during the night the election became closer and Nawrocki won with 50.89%.
Nawrocki will become the president on August 6 succeeding Law and Justice President Andrzej Duda.
The role of the President in Poland is largely ceremonial, but with this election Nawrocki will be able to put pressure on Donald Tusk’s government, as the president possesses a veto-power which can be used to block parliamentary legislation.
The election has also been seen as a precursor to the 2027 parliamentary election which could result in a loss for Donald Tusk and the Civic Platform party.
This has been a very influential election that will have a long-lasting effect on Polish politics.
