Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian from Gdansk, was nominated by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.
During his election campaign, Nawrocki made no bones of the fact that he intends to continue President Duda’s policy of obstructing the government.
It is also likely that Nawrocki will narrow the government’s room to maneuver in terms of foreign policy.
According to the constitution, the Polish president is not only commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he also has a say in foreign policy.
Nawrocki’s stance on core foreign policy issues clashes with those of the government.
In Sunday’s presidential runoff, right-wing conservative historian and euroskeptic Karol Nawrocki received 50.89 percent of the vote, according to Poland’s State Election Commission, which announced the results Monday morning. This puts him just ahead of his liberal-conservative, pro-European opponent, Rafal Trzaskowski, who received 49.11 percent.
Nawrocki, who will take over in August, will replace President Andrzej Duda, who was unable to continue as president after serving two terms.
Gdansk historian Nawrocki, 42, was the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party’s nominee. Nawrocki was portrayed by PiS as an independent, nonpartisan “citizens’ candidate” despite the fact that the party funded and coordinated his campaign and that his platform coincided with PiS’.
Nawrocki claimed that a “Poland without migrants” was his political goal, adding, “We have succeeded in uniting the entire patriotic camp.”.
Additionally, PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski stated, “We won because we were right.”.
Nawrocki was also voted for by supporters of the Confederation Liberty and Independence party, which has an economic libertarian and ultranationalist wing. At the voting booth, the majority of Grzegorz Braun’s hard-right, antisemitic supporters also supported Nawrocki.
A stinging blow to the government.
Trzaskowski was the candidate of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal-conservative Civic Platform (PO). The New Left and the Third Way (TD), two other parties in the ruling coalition, also supported the 53-year-old Warsaw mayor.
His unexpected loss is a serious setback for Tusk’s administration.
Throughout his election campaign, Nawrocki made no secret of his intention to carry on President Duda’s strategy of blocking the government. In the eighteen months since Tusk’s return to power, Duda has frequently blocked government reforms—particularly those that pertain to the restoration of the rule of law—by exercising his veto power.
Political scientist Barbara Brodzinska-Mirowska told broadcaster TVN on Sunday night that Nawrocki would “make life difficult for the government and apply the handbrake in terms of domestic policies.”.
Regarding important foreign policy matters, where does Nawrocki stand?
Nawrocki is also likely to reduce the government’s foreign policy options.
The constitution states that the Polish president has the authority to decide foreign policy in addition to serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The government and Nawrocki have different positions on important foreign policy matters.
He advocated for imposing conditions on Ukraine’s EU membership and opposed Ukraine joining NATO during his election campaign. The president-elect mistrusts Berlin, is a euroskeptic, and prefers to rely on the US for security. He also hopes to keep up the pressure on Germany to reimburse Poland for the costs of the war.
According to sociologist Robert Sobiech, “Poland is facing the Hungarian scenario.” He cautioned that under Nawrocki, Poland will turn away from Europe, just as Hungary has done under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and that PiS and the ultra-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party may retake power in 2027.
A roller coaster with emotions.
Since the polling places closed at 9 p.m., both candidates have been on an emotional roller coaster. m. CET. Trzaskowski (50.3 percent) was just a hair’s breadth ahead of Nawrocki (49.7 percent), according to the first exit poll.
“We’ve won!” exclaimed Trzaskowski, who made a commitment to begin putting his plan into action “like a torpedo” and to reach out to everyone who supported his opponent.
But his team’s euphoria was short-lived. The results of a second poll, which was released two hours later and included data from a few polling places, contradicted the initial prediction.
An early analysis shows that Nawrocki received more votes than any other candidate, including men and those under the age of 29, while Trzaskowski received more votes from women and older voters.
Nawrocki was not deterred by any scandals.
Nawrocki, who has led Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) since 2021, has been widely accused by the media in recent months.
He was charged with having connections to the criminal underworld and hooligan scene, as well as the dishonest purchase of a social housing apartment from a poor, alcoholic man.
Nawrocki acknowledged participating in a mass fight between two rival football teams’ supporters that was planned in advance.
ONET, an online platform, stated that Nawrocki arranged prostitutes for visitors at a posh hotel in Sopot on the Baltic coast while he was a student working for a security firm.
Nawrocki’s presidential campaign, however, was unaffected by any of these reports.
Speaking about the “boomerang effect,” author Slawomir Sierakowski explained that the “intrusive highlighting” of these stories in the media actually made people feel more supportive of the candidate.
The result was described as a “political earthquake” by Jacek Nizinkiewicz of the Rzeczpospolita newspaper on Monday. “.”.
“After the election, things won’t get any better. For twenty years, Poland has been so sharply divided that the new president will not patch these wounds,” Nizinkiewicz wrote. “We should be concerned that the situation will be reversed. “.”.
The original publication of this article was in German.
