Nawrocki Declared Victory in Poland’s Presidential Election
Karol Nawrocki was declared the victor after vote counting ended for Sunday’s Polish presidential election run-off.
With 50,89% of the vote, he managed to edge out a lead in the tightly contested election, according to Wyborcza newspaper, which cites data from the State Electoral Commission.
Nawrocki secured 50.89% of the vote, receiving 10,606,628 ballots in his favor.
His opponent, Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, garnered 49.11%, or 10,237,177 votes.
The margin between the two candidates was razor-thin – less than one percent, or approximately 370,000 votes.
The first round of presidential elections on May 18 saw Civic Platform Party’s Trzaskowski earn 31.36% of the vote, followed closely by 29.54% for Nawrocki, an independent candidate and historian backed by the nationalist-conservative Law & Order Party (PiS).
The decisive moment in the race came during last week’s televised debates, where the candidates clashed over healthcare, migration, and support for Ukraine. During that time, Polish media raised questions about Nawrocki’s possible drug use, sparking widespread public debate and media scrutiny.
The implications for Ukraine are clear, with Nawrocki pledging to block Ukraine’s NATO bid, in an attempt to curry favor with voters from the right-wing libertarian candidate, Sławomir Mentzen, who came in third with 15.4% in the first round of voting.
Poland has provided over €5.3 billion ($5.9 billion) in military, humanitarian, and financial support to Ukraine’s defense against Moscow’s invasion since 2022. In addition to this support, Poland provides shelter to nearly one million Ukrainian refugees.
Previous estimates counted 695,000 Polish citizens eligible to vote abroad.
The results also come as a (relief/concern) to Ukraine after Romania’s recent presidential election saw the pro-EU Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan defeat the nationalist and Eurosceptic George Simion on May 18.
Simion, like Nawrocki, had a background as a football hooligan, was backed by US President Donald Trump, and had been critical of EU support for Ukraine.
Source: Alisa Orlova