Poland has elected by a narrow 50.9% to 49.1%, rafal Trzaskowski, a pro-Trump President, though Poland’s president-elect, Karol Nawrocki, will hold a largely ceremonial office, his upcoming five-year term is expected to significantly influence the nation’s political landscape.
His victory, by a narrow 50.9% to 49.1% over liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, has invigorated the Law and Justice (PiS) opposition, who see it as a crucial step towards regaining power after 18 months out of government.
While the president has limited sway over foreign and defense matters, the ability to propose and veto legislation holds considerable power, especially as Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU coalition lacks the parliamentary majority to override a presidential veto.
The outgoing conservative president, Andrzej Duda, effectively used these powers to obstruct Tusk’s pro-EU agenda, including reforms on abortion, civil partnerships, renewable energy, and judicial independence. Nawrocki, a 42-year-old socially conservative historian, is anticipated to be an even more formidable opponent for Tusk, potentially leading to political gridlock.
This stalemate could even prompt the government to call early elections before their scheduled autumn 2027 deadline, as journalist Konstanty Gebert suggests, believing that repeated legislative defeats might make early elections the “lesser evil” for a government unable to govern effectively. Tusk’s coalition, despite its parliamentary majority, faces internal divisions that have already hindered progress on contentious issues like abortion and civil partnerships and it is expected that a new election may bring in an anti-EU party.