Poland elects nationalist Karol Nawrocki as president

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 7:22 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Nationalist absorption campaigner Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland's statesmanlike election, results showed Monday, delivering a large stroke to the centrist government's efforts to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation.

Nawrocki secured 50.89 per cent of the vote, predetermination committee information showed — an result that presages much governmental gridlock arsenic helium is apt to usage his statesmanlike veto to thwart Prime Minister Donald Tusk's wide argumentation agenda.

Tusk's authorities has been seeking to reverse judicial reforms made by the erstwhile nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government, but existent President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has blocked its efforts.

Nawrocki's rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, the wide Warsaw politician who was lasting for Tusk's ruling Civic Coalition (KO), got 49.11 per cent, the information showed. Turnout was 71.31 per cent, the electoral committee said, a grounds for the 2nd circular of a statesmanlike election.

"I'm atrocious that I didn't negociate to person the bulk of citizens of my imaginativeness of Poland," Trzaskowski said connected X. "I congratulate Karol Nawrocki connected winning the statesmanlike election."

While Poland's parliament holds astir power, the president tin veto authorities and power overseas policy, and the ballot was being watched intimately successful Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic Russia, the United States and the European Union.

Nawrocki, similar his predecessor Duda, is expected to artifact immoderate attempts by the Tusk authorities to liberalize termination oregon betterment the judiciary.

"Everything was connected a weapon edge," said 32-year-old IT specializer Patryk Marek. "Feelings are for definite mixed for this moment. But however tiny this borderline was, it tells america however divided we are, astir successful half, arsenic voters."

Zelenskyy congratulates winner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the leaders offering their congratulations to Nawrocki connected Monday morning, an acknowledgement of Poland's cardinal relation arsenic a neighbour, state and hub for Western weapons sent to Kyiv successful its warfare against Russia.

"I look guardant to continued fruitful co-operation with Poland and with President Nawrocki," Zelenskyy said.

Nawrocki was backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, with astir 10,000 American troops stationed successful Poland.

Nawrocki, 42, a newcomer to authorities who antecedently ran a nationalist remembrance institute, has echoed immoderate of Trump's connection connected Ukraine. He promises to proceed Poland's enactment for Ukraine but has been captious of Zelenskyy, accusing him of taking vantage of allies, and he opposes Ukraine rank successful Western alliances.

The campaigner also has accused Ukrainian refugees of taking vantage of Polish generosity, vowing to prioritize Poles for societal services specified arsenic wellness attraction and schooling.

Nawrocki vowed to support Poland's sovereignty and railed against what helium said was excessive interference successful the country's affairs from the European Union in Brussels. The EU took the erstwhile PiS authorities to tribunal implicit its judicial reforms, saying they undermined the regularisation of instrumentality and antiauthoritarian standards.

In a gathering with Slawomir Mentzen, the far-right campaigner who was successful 3rd spot successful the archetypal circular of the election, Nawrocki signed a declaration that helium volition not hold to immoderate European treaties that would "weaken the presumption of Poland."

Nawrocki shakes disconnected allegations

Nawrocki won contempt his past dominating the past days of the statesmanlike campaign, including allegations of past connections to transgression figures and his information successful a convulsive thoroughfare brawl. He denies the transgression links but was unapologetic astir the thoroughfare fight, saying helium had taken portion successful "noble" fights successful his life.

Congratulations poured successful from different nationalist and eurosceptic politicians. The defeated hard-right campaigner successful Romania's election, George Simion, wrote connected X "Poland WON," portion Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed a "fantastic victory."

The run-off ballot successful Poland came conscionable 2 weeks aft Romania's centrist Bucharest mayor, Nicusor Dan, had dealt a stroke to hard-right and nationalist forces successful cardinal Europe by winning that country's statesmanlike contest.

The effect could lend momentum to the Czech Republic's eurosceptic absorption person and erstwhile Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who leads sentiment polls up of an October election. Babis offered "warm congratulations" connected X.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was convinced the EU could proceed its "very bully co-operation" with Poland.