Karol Nawrocki, the national conservative candidate backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, was elected Poland’s next president on Sunday. He narrowly defeated the liberal and EU-friendly candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw, in the second round of voting.
According to the national election commission, Nawrocki received 50.89 percent of the votes, while Trzaskowski received 49.11 percent. Voter turnout was 71.63 percent – one of the highest in Poland’s modern history.
Nawrocki has made a name for himself with a campaign characterized by Catholic values, increased national sovereignty, and a critical stance toward the EU’s growing influence.
He is the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, a state-funded institution that documents crimes committed during the Nazi occupation of Poland and the communist era.
During the election campaign, he tried to present himself as something of a Polish counterpart to Donald Trump and even traveled to the US to meet the American president at the White House.
– President Trump said, ‘You will win’, Nawrocki told the assembled Polish media, according to Reuters.
Both candidates want to rearm
His opponent, Rafal Trzaskowski, a key figure in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal and EU-friendly Civic Coalition, ran on a platform of further strengthening relations with the EU, easing abortion restrictions, introducing civil partnerships for LGBTQ people, and reforming the judiciary. He received strong support in the big cities, while Nawrocki dominated in rural areas and among older voters.
Both candidates advocate increased defense spending and continued military aid to Ukraine, in response to previous calls from Trump that Europe must take greater responsibility for the NATO military pact.
However, their views differ on Ukraine’s NATO membership. Trzaskowski argues that this is crucial for Poland’s security, while Nawrocki says he does not intend to ratify Ukrainian NATO membership, citing the risk of drawing the alliance into a direct armed conflict with Russia.
At his last campaign appearance on Friday, Nawrocki emphasized the importance of traditional values:
– Poland needs a president who will defend the constitution and our values.
Dziękuję Wam!
Zwyciężymy pic.twitter.com/Liy7lLKm98— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) June 1, 2025
“We will save Poland”
Trzaskowski, in turn, outlined his vision of a Poland even more integrated into the EU apparatus than it is today.
– A modern European Poland that protects freedoms and the rule of law.
When the polls closed on Sunday evening, Nawrocki addressed his jubilant supporters:
– We will win and we will save Poland.
According to analysts, Nawrocki’s election victory will most likely mean a continued conservative course for Poland, with a focus on national independence, self-determination, and a more distant relationship with the EU – in contrast to Trzaskowski’s very explicitly liberal and EU-oriented agenda.