Poland’s presidential election is headed for a razor-thin run-off after centrist candidate Rafał Trzaskowski secured a slender first-round victory over nationalist rival Karol Nawrocki, official results confirmed on Monday, as per Al Jazeera.
With all ballots counted, the National Electoral Commission reported that Trzaskowski, the pro-European mayor of Warsaw backed by the governing Civic Coalition (KO), captured 31.36 percent of the vote. Nawrocki, supported by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, trailed by less than two percentage points on 29.54 percent.
The outcome sets up a high-stakes run-off on 1 June that will decide whether Poland deepens its pro-EU course or returns to nationalist, populist policies rekindled by Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency.
“We are going for victory,” Trzaskowski told cheering supporters. “There is a lot of work ahead, and we need determination.”
Nawrocki vowed to block what he called a KO “monopoly of power,” telling backers, “We must win these elections.”
The Polish presidency wields a powerful veto over legislation. Outgoing PiS-aligned president Andrzej Duda repeatedly thwarted reforms proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who returned to office in 2023. A Trzaskowski win would likely clear the way for Tusk’s coalition to:
- Roll back PiS judicial overhauls criticized by Brussels as threats to rule-of-law standards.
- Tighten Warsaw’s alignment with the European Union and NATO at a time of heightened security fears over Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine.
- Advance liberal social policies on abortion and LGBTQ rights.
A Nawrocki victory, by contrast, would prolong the institutional stalemate and reaffirm a conservative agenda that spotlights traditional values and skepticism toward EU influence.
Two far-right contenders, Sławomir Mentzen and Grzegorz Braun, together captured just over 21 percent of the vote—an unprecedented share driven largely by younger voters. Where those ballots migrate on 1 June could prove decisive.
“The run-off will hinge on turnout and the choices of young voters who backed Mentzen,” said Wojciech Przybylski, head of the Res Publica foundation in Warsaw.
Foreign-policy anxieties have dominated the race, with candidates clashing over Poland’s stance toward the EU, NATO, and an uncertain U.S. security commitment. Social issues have also loomed large: Nawrocki casts himself as guardian of family and church, while Trzaskowski pledges expanded civil liberties.
Both candidates fanned out across the country on Monday—Trzaskowski meeting voters in Warsaw, Nawrocki rallying supporters in Gdańsk—as a two-week sprint begins to sway undecided and far-right voters.
