Unlock Editor’s Digest Lock for Free
FT editor Roula Khalaf will select your favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Karol Naulocki, a historian of the Nationalist Opposition Law and Justice (PIS) Party, took a major blow to Prime Minister Donald Tass’ government and won the Polish president’s spill vote.
Nawrocki won 50.9% of votes against 49.1% of Pro-EU candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, who represents Tusk’s citizen platform party.
Trzaskwoski admitted defeat and congratulated Nawrocki. “I am sorry I was unable to convince the majority of my citizens of my vision for Poland,” he said at X late in the morning.
Nawrocki’s victory could rob Tusk’s reform agenda, weaken Poland’s role within the EU, and undermine Ukraine’s solid support in the war with Russia.
This result is a rare victory for Donald Trump’s Maga movement after the election defeat of right-wing politicians who lined up with US presidents of Canada, Australia and Romania.
When he visited Poland last Tuesday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem urged voters to “select the right leader” and described Truzaskovsky as an “absolute train wreck.”
The victory marked a sharp turn for Now Rocky, who consistently chased Truzaskowsky in the polls and lost the first round to his rivals.
His victory could be a “precursor to the backsdor’s political turmoil in Poland,” said Piotrblas, director of the European Council of Foreign Relations.
Buras added that Tusk must work with the president, who undermines his government, whose main mission is to “pair the way for Pis to return to power.”
The results on Sunday “effectively weaken the international position of Poland’s Prime Minister,” he said.
The Polish system gives the president a relatively limited power, but they include the right to reject the law or refer to the constitutional court, where the bill is still packed with judges appointed.
Another PIS nominee, President Andrze Duda, has vetoed since the Prime Minister’s coalition kicked PIS out of the office as the Prime Minister’s coalition took over the task and thwarted other reforms.
Prime Minister Victor Orban is seeking re-election next year, and Hungary, the Maga’s leading European cheerleader, was the first country to celebrate the Now Rocky.
Poland’s vote was “a new victory for (European) patriots,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Syjart said on Facebook.
The outcome was a dramatic reversal of the fate of the two candidates. The first exit poll showed Truzaskowsky cited a thin lead on the wafer, prompting candidates for the task to declare an early victory late on Sunday.
However, Nowrocky refused to admit defeat, and subsequent exit votes led him instead.
Jarosław Kaczyński, the founder of PIS and longtime Tusk’s nemesis, is Tusk’s nemesis who handmade Nawrocki as a lesser known outsider, told supporters on Sunday that the political rookie survived “Niagara of Lies” during the campaign.
Nawrocki denied all charges against him. He called this politically motivated in connection with a personal scandal that included alleged relationships with criminals.
The Election Commission said that the turnout in the second round was 71.6%, with just three percentage points to record-breaking participation in the 2023 Congressional election, with Tusk coming to power and ending eight years of PIS rules.
Prior to Sunday’s vote, Task warned voters that Nowrocky could not only thwart reforms, but also undermine Poland’s role in the EU amid a full-scale invasion of Russian neighbours Ukraine.
“I am confident that the EU will continue to carry on very good cooperation with Poland,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
Congratulations on his victory, von der Leyen said: “We are all strong together in a community of peace, democracy and values, so let’s work to ensure the safety and prosperity of our common home.”
Nawrocki has pledged to block Kyiv’s bid to join NATO, which Tusk accused of treason.
Tusk and Trzaskowski have said that if Kyiv and Moscow agree to a ceasefire, they will not allow Polish forces to Ukraine as part of their international peacekeeping mission.
Additional Reports by Henry Foy of Brussels
