By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Poland’s National Electoral Commission on Monday declared opposition-backed nationalist Karol Nawrocki the winner of the country’s presidential election.
After the total vote count, the electoral body said Nawrocki, a staunch conservative, secured 50.89 percent of votes in a tight run-off race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who took 49.11 percent.
Nawrocki, 42, a historian and amateur boxer who ran a national remembrance institute, campaigned on populist promises to ensure economic and social policies favour Poles over other nationalities, including refugees from neighbouring Ukraine.
An early exit poll released on Sunday evening had suggested his opponent, Trzaskowski, was headed to victory before updated polling began to reverse the picture a couple of hours later.
Nawrocki will succeed Andrzej Duda, also aligned with the nationalist conservative Law & Justice (PiS), whose second and final term ends on 6 August.
Duda has been holding up the coalition government’s efforts to reverse changes politicising the judicial system that were introduced by PiS during its 2015–23 term in office, which plunged Poland into a fight with the EU over the rule of law.
Tusk has also struggled to meet other electoral promises, such as the implementation of reforms to ease access to abortion and improve LGBTQ rights.
Some analysts believe that these unfulfilled promises could make it more difficult for Tusk to continue his term until the next parliamentary election scheduled for late 2027.
The US President, Donald Trump-backed “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement in the US had significantly offered strong support to ensure Nawrocki’s victory.
Trump welcomed the Polish eurosceptic to the White House, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem travelled to Poland last week to back him.
The US has about 10,000 soldiers stationed in Poland, and Noem suggested that military ties could deepen with Nawrocki as president.
Nawrocki’s supporters claim that he will restore “normality” as Trump has done, and MAGA flags have often appeared at Nawrocki’s rallies during the campaign.
Nawrocki has also echoed some of Trump’s language on Ukraine, despite staunch opposition to Russia on Poland’s left and right.
While the president-elect has promised to maintain the country’s support for Ukraine, he has been critical of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of taking advantage of allies.
He has also tapped into growing antagonism towards the millions of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, accusing them of taking advantage of Polish generosity, and promising to prioritise Poles for social services such as healthcare and education.
