Liberal and Nationalist Candidates Will Run Off in Polish Presidential Elections
Mayor of Warsaw and Civic Coalition (KO) candidate for the Polish presidential election, Rafal Trzaskowski meets with local residents in Tarnobrzeg, Poland. Photo: EFE/EPA/PIOTR POLAK POLAND OUT
May 18, 2025 Hour: 5:57 pm
In Poland, the presidential election will be defined in a run off on 1 June between the liberal Rafal Trzaskowski, supported by the government of Donald Tusk, and the nationalist Karol Nawrocki, supported by the ultra-conservative opposition.
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Preliminary results give a slight advantage to Trzaskowski, reflecting the polarization of the country. The high voter turnout predicts a very close contest. Official results are expected by Monday due to slow counting.
Shortly after the poll was released, Trzaskowski, 53, expressed his happiness at “having won the first round of the elections,” although he acknowledged that “there is still a lot of work ahead.”
“Great determination is needed, and this result shows that we must be strong, that we must show ourselves to be determined, and it reflects how much work we have ahead of us to win the presidential elections,” said the Civic Coalition candidate led by Tusk.
For his part, Nawrocki, 41, promised “to very soon be the president of Polish men and women and to be their voice in the Presidential Palace,” but he described the elections as “the least fair of the last 35 years.”
The nationalist historian complained about “the amount of propaganda and lies financed by state-owned companies and media, which were used to fight against an independent candidate.”
Tusk stated on his X social media account that “the game for everything has just begun.” It will be “a tough fight for every vote. These two weeks will decide the future of our homeland. Therefore, not a step back,” he indicated while asking for votes for Trzaskowski.
The most significant debacle of the election day was that of Szymon Hołownia, who obtained only 4.8% of the votes, since he is the leader of one of the main parties in the alliance that governs with Tusk and the leader of a political party that arose with the objective of elevating him to the Presidency.
Holownia interpreted the results as a “yellow card for the governmental coalition” led by Tusk, emphasizing that more than 60% of the votes, according to the poll, were for candidates critical of the alliance.
