Poland has a new president, and it's conservative historian Karol Nawrocki. He clinched a narrow victory in the weekend's presidential runoff election, beating out liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. This election had everyone on the edge of their seats, and it really highlighted the deep political divides in the country.
The final count shows Nawrocki with 50.89% of the votes, just ahead of Trzaskowski, who secured 49.11%. Talk about a close call!
Nawrocki is set to take office on August 6th, succeeding fellow conservative Andrzej Duda, who's finishing up his second and final term.
A Nation Divided: The Road to the Runoff
The lead-up to this final vote was pretty intense. The first round of voting a couple of weeks earlier really showed how split Poland is. These divisions are especially interesting given Poland's important role on NATO's eastern flank and within the European Union.
It's worth remembering that while the prime minister, Donald Tusk, handles most of the day-to-day government work in Poland, the president still holds significant power. They can influence foreign policy and, crucially, even veto new laws.
What This Means for Donald Tusk
This win for Nawrocki is likely to create some hurdles for Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk, who formed a coalition government late last year with a wide range of political views, has already faced challenges in delivering on some of his campaign promises, like easing abortion laws. With Nawrocki as president, who belongs to the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) that governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, Tusk is expected to encounter even more resistance.
Nawrocki, who's 42, is an amateur boxer and a relatively new face in the political scene. His connection to PiS suggests a more conservative path for Poland, which could clash with Tusk's more liberal agenda.
A Rollercoaster Election Night
The night of the election was full of twists and turns. An initial exit poll actually suggested Trzaskowski was slightly in the lead. But then, just a couple of hours later, an updated "late poll" flipped the script, showing Nawrocki winning with 50.7% to Trzaskowski's 49.3%.
Turnout for this runoff was impressive, reaching 72.8%. That's even higher than the 67.3% seen in the first round of voting on May 18th, showing just how much this election mattered to Poles. Voting ran from 7 AM to 9 PM, and even with that, the chairman of the Polish National Electoral Commission reported some incidents, with "232 possible offenses" occurring during the day.
Both Sides Claim Victory (Before the Final Count)
Before the final numbers were in, when the race was still incredibly tight, both Trzaskowski and Nawrocki held events with their supporters in Warsaw, each claiming victory.
Trzaskowski, speaking to chants of “Rafał, Rafał,” told his crowd, “We won. This is truly a special moment in Poland’s history. I am convinced that it will allow us to move forward and focus on the future. I will be your president.”
Meanwhile, Nawrocki, at his own event, expressed his belief that he was on track to win. “We will win and save Poland,” he declared. “We must win tonight.”
It was a truly dramatic election, right down to the wire, and now Poland embarks on its next chapter with Karol Nawrocki as its new president.