Warsaw’s liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski has won a narrow victory in Poland’s presidential election, according to an exit poll. Trzaskowski, a member of the Civic Platform party, took 31.1% of the vote, while conservative historian Karol Nawrocki came second with 29.1%. A second-round run-off between the two candidates is now expected on June 1.
Trzaskowski has pledged to reform Poland’s strict abortion law and accelerate judicial reforms, which were seen as politicized by the previous government. He will need to win over supporters of his party and junior coalition partners to secure a victory in the second round.
The outcome was less predictable than opinion polls had suggested, with Trzaskowski performing worse than expected. However, he remains confident that he can overcome Nawrocki’s strong support base.
Poland’s president has largely ceremonial powers but is able to veto government legislation. A victory for Trzaskowski would remove this power, while a win for Nawrocki could be even more challenging due to his ability to mobilize the PiS party’s supporters.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgegn1ggxn8o