Conservative Karol Nawrocki has won Poland's presidential election, according to the final vote count on Monday. Nawrocki won 50.89% of the votes in a very tight race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11% votes.
Nawrocki will succeed Andrzej Duda, a conservative whose second and final term ends on August 6.
Most day-to-day power in the Polish political system rests with a prime minister chosen by the parliament. However, the president's role is not merely ceremonial. The office holds the power to influence foreign policy and to veto legislation.
Who is Karol Nawrocki?
Right-wing candidate Nawrocki is a conservative historian and heavyweight boxing champion. He was backed by US President Donald Trump in the presidential elections. He won the polls and is set to become Poland's new President.
Nawrocki reportedly received help from the White House, having visited Trump briefly in the Oval Office last month. On a visit to Poland last week, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged Poles to vote for Nawrocki to ensure the country enjoys close ties with Trump.
Nawrocki, a 42-year-old former boxer, was tapped by the Law and Justice party as part of its push for a fresh start. The party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, when it lost power to a centrist coalition led by Donald Tusk.
Nawrocki has most recently been the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, which embraces nationalist historical narratives.
He led efforts to topple monuments to the Soviet Red Army in Poland, and Russia responded by putting him on a wanted list, according to Polish media reports.
‘Defender of Polish value’: Nawrocki has positioned himself as a defender of traditional Polish values, the Associated Press reported. His supporters described him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values.
Those who oppose secular trends, including LGBTQ visibility, have embraced him, viewing him as a reflection of the traditional values they grew up with.
Nawrocki's stance on NATO, EU: He opposes NATO membership for Ukraine and positions himself as sceptical of the EU.
Nawrocki's ‘criminal links’: The report further informed that Nawrocki's candidacy was clouded by allegations of past connections to criminal figures and participation in a violent street battle.
Nawrocki denied the criminal links but acknowledged having taken part in "noble" fights. The revelations did not appear to dent his support among right-wing voters, many of whom see the allegations as politically motivated.
Nawrocki's Catholic values: A political newcomer, Nawrocki spent the campaign touting his core Catholic values while railing against migration and the EU’s attempts to fight climate change, Bloomberg reported.
'Nawrocki's win could jeopardise...': With Nawrocki's win, the agenda of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is at stake. Tusk's coalition had ousted Poland’s nationalists in 2023. Nawrocki's win could jeopardise Tusk’s ambition to return Warsaw to the EU mainstream and maintain bloc funding.
