Conservative historian Karol Nawrocki has been officially declared the winner of Poland’s presidential runoff election after the state electoral commission finalized the tally early Monday morning.
Citizens of Poland headed to the polls on June 1 for a presidential runoff election to determine the nation’s political path forward and future relationship with the European Union, with the Law and Justice Party voicing support for pursuing a more nationalist governing approach.
Because conservative Polish President Andrzej Duda is finishing his second and final term, Poland's new president will have sway over the centrist government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and will determine whether or not it can pursue its agenda, as the president has the power to veto laws.
The June 1 runoff vote comes after a hotly contested first round on May 18. At the time, Trzaskowski led with a little more than 31 percent of the vote to Nawrocki's nearly 30 percent. Eleven other candidates were eliminated.
The two candidates had contrasting views on governing policies. Trzaskowski, 53, vowed to prioritize judicial independence, reduce abortion restrictions, and promote allegiances with the rest of Europe. Nawrocki, 42, promised to pursue traditional Polish values. He remains skeptical of the EU and supportive of U.S. President Donald Trump.
He is currently the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, which investigates crimes committed by the Nazi and communist regimes. Nawrocki supports tightened border controls and increasing defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product. He is also against liberalizing abortion access and LGBT values. His slogan is "Poland first, Poles first."
As the liberal mayor of Warsaw, Trzaskowski is a close Tusk ally and a member of his ruling coalition. This is his second run for president, after losing to Duda in 2020.
While both candidates support aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia over growing security concerns, Nawrocki does not support Ukraine's joining NATO. Trzaskowski is in favor of NATO membership for Ukraine in the future.
Nawrocki centered his campaign on pursuing Christian traditional values. His supporters believe that Trzaskowski, an EU backer, would relinquish control of critical Polish affairs to other European nations such as Germany and France.
Trump threw his support behind Nawrocki, inviting him to the White House in early May. He sent U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a Conservative Political Action Conference in Poland to give a resounding endorsement of the conservative candidate.
Noem suggested that if Nawrocki won, there might be stronger U.S.–Polish military ties in the future. She said that a Trzaskowski win could threaten Poland's security.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also endorsed Nawrocki at a Conservative Political Action Conference meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on May 29.