In Poland’s extraordinarily tight and closely-watched presidential run-off election, a staunch nationalist conservative on Sunday defeated a pro-EU liberal in an outcome that promises economic and geopolitical implications. With 100% of the precincts reporting, conservative historian Karol Nawrocki had 50.9% of the votes, compared to 49.1% for leftist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who prematurely declared victory on Sunday evening after the first exit polls showed him at 50.3%.
Among the key issues in the election were immigration, abortion, support for Ukraine, and Polish integration with the rest of Europe. When he takes office on August 6, Nawrocki — a former boxer who leads the Institute for National Remembrance — will succeed term-limited President Andrzej Duda. Like Nawrocki, Duda is associated with the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Before the final tally, Nawrocki was optimistic, saying “I believe we will all wake up tomorrow morning with President Nawrocki putting the broken Poland back together.” He also quoted the Bible, saying God would “heal the land” of good people who “turn away from wicked ways.”