Karol Nawrocki’s support for a more nationalist approach to governance may prove challenging for Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Conservative historian Karol Nawrocki has been officially declared the winner of Poland’s presidential runoff election after the state electoral commission finalized the tally early Monday morning.
Nawrocki, who was approached to run by Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice Party, won 50.89 percent of the vote in a tight race against Warsaw mayor and Pro-EU candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, who won 49.11 percent support—separated by a margin of 369,591 votes.
Citizens of Poland headed to the polls on June 1 for a presidential runoff election to determine the nation’s political path forward and future relationship with the European Union, with the Law and Justice Party voicing support for pursuing a more nationalist governing approach.
Because conservative Polish President Andrzej Duda is finishing his second and final term, Poland’s new president will have sway over the centrist government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and will determine whether or not it can pursue its agenda, as the president has the power to veto laws.
The June 1 runoff vote comes after a hotly contested first round on May 18. At the time, Trzaskowski led with a little more than 31 percent of the vote to Nawrocki’s nearly 30 percent. Eleven other candidates were eliminated.
The two candidates had contrasting views on governing policies. Trzaskowski, 53, vowed to prioritize judicial independence, reduce abortion restrictions, and promote allegiances with the rest of Europe. Nawrocki, 42, promised to pursue traditional Polish values. He remains skeptical of the EU and supportive of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Nawrocki is a newcomer to politics, having no previous party membership before the Law and Justice Party approached him in an attempt to reenergize the organization after losing power in 2023 to a group led by Tusk.
He is currently the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, which investigates crimes committed by the Nazi and communist regimes. Nawrocki supports tightened border controls and increasing defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product. He is also against liberalizing abortion access and LGBT values. His slogan is “Poland first, Poles first.”
By Jacob Burg
