If the candidate doesn’t win more than 50% of the vote, Trzaskowski and Nawrocki could face to face in the leaked election scheduled for June 1st.
In the closely contested Polish presidential election on May 18, Rafal Trzaskowski of the Dominant Citizens’ Union (KO) narrowly led the first round, according to IPSOS exit polls.
Truzaskovsky, a mayor of Warsaw and a liberal centralist member of the Coreitission, the pro-European Prime Minister of Truzaskowsky, secured 30.8% of the votes and was supported by the Nationalist Law and Judicial (PIS) party, with 29.1% slightly ahead of the conservative historian Karol Nowrocky.
A liberal, veteran politician with an urban base, Trzaskowski lacks election experience but is in stark contrast to Nawrocki, a rookie who is backed by PIS conservative, rural and nationalist voters.
The poll opened at 7am local time and closed at 9pm, with around 29 million eligible voters taking part.
Intersections for the country
Poland’s presidential competition employs two candidates with very different visions, which determines whether Warsaw deepens its pro-European trajectory under Prime Minister Donald Tass, or walks towards the nationalist path.
In Poland, the president has the power to reject the law and allows a new president to support or obstruct government reforms and agendas of the task.
Trzaskowski defends Poland’s deep EU integration and promotes a pivotal role in European policymaking. He supported military support for Ukraine and recently expressed support for the more stringent stance of migrants.
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EU skeptic Nawrocki supports Polish sovereignty and the strong US-Polish alliance. He says he is inspired by President Donald Trump’s vision of “great America again” and opposes abortion and further liberalization of LGBT rights with policies consistent with Piss’ traditionalist Catholic principles.
Some voters hope that the election will break the political deadlock.
“For many Poles, I think these are very important elections and meetings of different visions in the country,” a Polish humanist who wanted to remain anonymous told NTD as emotions were rising during the election campaign.
“Despite all the differences that exist in Poland now, the new president hopes to succeed in reducing the country’s social division and contributing to greater agreement, harmony in social life.”
June 1st leak
If the candidate doesn’t win more than 50% of the vote, Trzaskowski and Nawrocki could face to face in the leaked election scheduled for June 1st.
“We’re aiming for a victory. I said it was nearby and it was close,” Trzaskowski told supporters. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us, and we need to be determined.”
Now Rocky also told supporters he was confident about his victory in the second round.
It lists 13 presidential candidates listed in the poll, including right-wing candidate Slaumir Menzen from the Alliance Party, Symon Hollow, Parliamentary Speaker of the Central Right Poland 2050, and Magdalena Bijatt from the left.
However, there are still variables due to the potential leaks that can be seen on online platforms such as Tiktok along with many young supporters.
Polish designer Krzysztof Olesiński told NTD that Mentzen is one of the three candidates he supports.
“I hope we will work with the current Trump administration as Poland’s future government is about reality. The European Union appears to have a desire to control people’s lives, something I don’t support.
“People should have a real democracy, not a psychological war,” he said.
Impact on European and global politics
This Polish election is at a political period for the EU, which is characterized by its ongoing Russian Crane War, decades of liberalization conservative values and is characterized by its stricter relations with the United States.
As the fifth-largest population member and sixth-largest economy in the EU, Poland has gained new heights on the European stage since the start of the Russian-Ukraine war.
On May 7, a day after German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz’s inauguration, he visited Warsaw to meet Tass following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron of Paris.
Two days later, on May 9, for “European Day”, Task traveled to Nancy, France, signing a new Franco Polish Friendship Treaty with Macron, and declared “irreversible unity” between the two countries.
The next day, Tusk joined Kyiv’s Macron, Merz, Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, collectively sought an immediate, unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Geographically, Poland serves as a buffer between NATO and Russian influences, bordering Belarus in the east and Ukraine in the south, making it an important pillar of regional security.
Poland promoted a robust NATO defense policy, and after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland quickly expressed its support for Kiev, becoming one of Ukraine’s biggest sources of military aid and one of the shelters for Ukrainians to escape violence.
Reuters contributed to this report.
