Warsaw: Poland’s National Electoral Commission has officially declared Karol Nawrocki the winner of the country’s presidential run-off election, defeating liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in a razor-thin contest.
With all votes counted, Nawrocki, a staunch conservative and nationalist candidate backed by the opposition, secured 50.89 percent of the vote, while Trzaskowski received 49.11 percent.
Nawrocki, 42, a historian and amateur boxer who previously led Poland’s national remembrance institute, campaigned on a populist platform that emphasized prioritizing native Poles in economic and social policies over foreign nationals, including refugees from neighboring Ukraine. Nawrocki will take office on August 6, succeeding Andrzej Duda, another nationalist conservative aligned with the Law & Justice (PiS) party.
Dziękuję Wam!
Zwyciężymy 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/Liy7lLKm98— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) June 1, 2025
The outcome is expected to create serious obstacles for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition government, especially as Nawrocki has pledged to use the presidential veto to block key reforms. These include reversing PiS-era changes that politicized the judiciary between 2015 and 2023, which triggered ongoing conflict with the European Union over rule-of-law violations.
Tusk has also faced challenges in fulfilling his campaign promises such as expanding access to abortion services and enhancing protections for LGBTQ communities, areas likely to face increased resistance under Nawrocki’s presidency. Political analysts warn that these stalled efforts may hinder Tusk’s ability to maintain his governing coalition ahead of the next parliamentary elections scheduled for late 2027.
Initial exit polls had pointed to a potential Trzaskowski victory, but subsequent updates gradually shifted the results in Nawrocki’s favor. The final tally delivered a surprise win for the nationalist camp, energizing right-wing forces both within Poland and abroad.
MAGA support for Nawrocki
Nawrocki’s campaign and eventual win received significant backing from the United States’ ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement. President Donald Trump has welcomed Nawrocki to the White House, while US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Poland just days before the election to express support.
Noem hinted that under Nawrocki’s leadership, the already substantial American military presence in Poland, approximately 10,000 troops, could be further strengthened.
Nawrocki’s supporters view him as a figure who will restore what they term ‘normality,’ drawing direct comparisons to Trump’s leadership in the US MAGA flags were a regular feature at Nawrocki’s campaign rallies, symbolizing the ideological alignment between the two.
Despite expressing continued support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, Nawrocki has voiced criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of exploiting the goodwill of allies. He has also drawn on growing public dissatisfaction toward the roughly one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland, pledging to prioritize Polish citizens for access to state services such as healthcare and education.
Right-wing movements across Europe, especially those disappointed by nationalist George Simion’s recent defeat in Romania’s presidential election, were quick to embrace Nawrocki’s win. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto hailed the result on social media, calling it a ‘fresh victory for [European] patriots.’
As Nawrocki prepares to assume office, Poland faces a likely period of heightened political tension and polarisation, with implications for both its domestic policies and its relations within the European Union.
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