Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
What happened
Conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki won Poland's presidential runoff election Sunday, according to official results released today. Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and amateur boxer aligned with Poland's former ruling Law and Justice party, beat liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski 50.9% to 49.1%.
Who said what
Nawrocki's victory "deals a significant blow" to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose centrist coalition backed Trzaskowski, Politico said. The "tight result" reflects Poland's "deep political divisions" — between liberal cities and conservative towns, and backers of the European Union or a nationalist future — though "those splits are nothing new." Outgoing President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the right-wing Law and Justice party, defeated Trzaskowski 51% to 49% in 2020.
Duda "has no say in setting economic or other policy" but has used his veto power to "stymie" legislation passed by Tusk's coalition, and there's "little chance" Nawrocki will "wave through laws" Duda blocked, The New York Times said. Both sides "agree that Poland should provide weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russia and build up its military, but diverge sharply on most domestic issues, including abortion."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Nawrocki will take office when Duda's term ends Aug. 6. With another Law and Justice ally in the presidency, "it appears Tusk will have no way to fulfill" electoral promises to Polish voters and the EU, The Associated Press said. Some observers predict those "unfulfilled promises could make it more difficult for Tusk to continue his term until the next parliamentary election scheduled for late 2027."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
