Polish eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki elected president after tight run-off
發佈日期: 2025-06-02 21:25
TVB News
Nationalist opposition candidate and Eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki won the second round of Poland's presidential election.
He earned slightly more than 50 percent of the vote, dealing a blow to the reform agenda of the pro-EU government.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Nawrocki on his victory.
His defeated liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.
A historian with almost no political background until recently.
A nationalist and patriot in the Donald Trump mould, indeed, even endorsed by the U.S. president, who welcomed him to the White House last month.
An amateur boxer with reported underworld connections, who once boasted about being involved in a "noble" fight involving more than 100 football fans.
Forty-two-year-old Karol Nawrocki is Poland's new president after a tense and tight run-off with liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, earning 50.98 percent of the vote compared to his rival's 49.11.
The race was so tight, Trzaskowski at one point held a slight lead, prompting him to declare victory prematurely. His supporters celebrated, without realising it was not over.
Nawrocki, tapped up by the conservative Law and Justice Party to give them a fresh start, will replace fellow conservative Andrzej Duda as president.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk remains in charge of the day-to-day running of the country but the president has the power to veto legislation, which Duda sometimes did to frustrate the ruling coalition.
Nawrocki was most recently head of the Institute of National Remembrance, which embraces nationalist historical narratives. He led efforts to topple monuments to the Soviet Red Army in Poland, putting him on Russia's wanted list.
For his supporters, Nawrocki stands for traditional and patriotic values, opposing LGBTQ+ visibility and abortion.
While supporting Ukraine against Russia, he has accused Ukrainian refugees of taking advantage of Polish generosity and has vowed to prioritise social services for Poles.
He is expected to pose an even greater obstacle to Tusk in passing legislation.
Some observers say Tusk may struggle to fulfil his term until the next parliamentary election in late 2027, especially if the Law and Justice Party, which governed from 2015 to 2023, seeks to ally with conservatives in his coalition.
