Opposition Law and Justice party candidate Karol Nawrocki was elected President of Poland, defeating ruling Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the Civic Coalition in the second round of the presidential election.
The State Election Commission announced the results that show Nawrocki received 50.89% of the vote and Trzaskowski received 49.11%. Karol Nawrocki pledged once voting closed on Sunday to ‘unite the patriotic camp in Poland, the camp of people who desire a normal Poland without illegal migrants.’
Nawrocki, 42, is a historian of the topic of anti-communist opposition in Poland and a former head of the Institute of National Remembrance of Poland. He has never occupied elected office. He was selected as the PiS candidate since President Andrzej Duda completed his second term and was not eligible to run again.
As a defender of traditional values, Nawrocki set as a priority national sovereignty and safety. However, his victory might be a threat for the parliament of Donald Tusk, who is planning to expand LGBT rights, liberalise abortion laws etc. All these initiatives can now be vetoed by the president as the ruling coalition lacks an override qualified majority. Poland is thus entering an era of political confrontation between parliament majority and president, potentially leading to a legislative gridlock until the 2027 parliamentary elections.
