Poland is on the brink of a presidential election runoff as centrist and nationalist candidates contest the outcome. Ruling party candidate Rafal Trzaskowski narrowly won the first round, but a surge in support for far-right and anti-establishment candidates has left the final result uncertain.
Trzaskowski, from Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s ruling Civic Coalition, secured 31.4% of the vote, just over the gap predicted by opinion polls. However, his lead is slim, and he faces stiff competition in the runoff on June 1.
The far-right Confederation party made its best result ever, with Slawomir Mentzen scoring over 21%. His economically liberal, eurosceptic, and anti-immigrant programme has attracted many young voters disillusioned with traditional parties. Despite this, analysts say it’s uncertain whether all his supporters will back the PiS candidate.
Trzaskowski acknowledged the challenge of convincing young voters to support him, while Nawrocki, backed by the conservative-nationalist PiS, plans to appeal to both left and right. The left-wing candidates scored only just over 9% on Sunday, but neither gave Trzaskowski an unequivocal endorsement.
The ruling coalition’s pro-European policies have been hindered by the outgoing president’s veto powers. Tusk’s agenda has struggled to gain traction, and the runoff is a major test of the government’s efforts to mend ties with the EU.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-centrist-nationalist-presidential-candidates-face-off-2nd-round-2025-05-19