Poland: Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins presidential vote

President-elect Karol Nawrocki's election rival Rafal Trzaskowski congratulated him on winning the vote.

An early exit poll released after polls closed on Sunday evening suggested Trzaskowski was headed to victory, but official results showed he got 49.11%, with Nawrocki taking 50.89% of the votes.

Trzaskowski reminded his rival that his victory comes with a responsibility, "especially with such close result." 

"I'm sorry that I didn't manage to convince the majority of citizens of my vision of Poland," Trzaskowski wrote on X. 

Karol Nawrocki, the 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer, will become Poland's next, and youngest ever, president.

Relatively new to politics, he ran as an independent but was backed by the right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is closely aligned with outgoing President Andrzej Duda.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk's governing coalition has sought to reverse judicial reforms enacted by the previous PiS government, reforms the European Union said undermined democracy and the rights of women and minorities. However, President Duda blocked those efforts, and Nawrocki is expected to continue that stance.

During the campaign, Nawrocki vowed to defend Poland's sovereignty and criticized what he described as excessive interference from Brussels. He is, however, more sympathetic toward the United States, having received backing from US President Donald Trump, who hosted him at the White House in early May.

Positioning himself as an underdog during the campaign, Nawrocki cultivated a tough-guy image. Nawrocki's supporters view him as a champion of conservative values, including a strong anti-abortion stance. 

While he has pledged continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia, he opposes Ukraine's accession to NATO and the European Union. He has also pushed for Ukraine to allow the exhumation of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II—a longstanding point of tension between the two countries.

Professionally, he has held key roles in Polish historical institutions. He served as director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk from 2017 to 2021 and has led the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) since 2021.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was looking forward to "fruitful cooperation" with Poland's newly elected president, Karol Nawrocki.

In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said Poland "has been and remains a pillar of regional and European security, and a strong voice defending freedom and dignity for every nation."

Nawrocki backs Ukraine's in its fight against Russia, but he has questioned the long-term costs of aid, particularly support for Ukrainian refugees.

He has also been critical of Kyiv'sEU and NATO accession plans.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier congratulated Karol Nawrocki on his victory in Poland's presidential election, urging both countries to closely cooperate.

Poland and Germany are key to "ensure a future of security, freedom and prosperity for Europe", Steinmeier said in a statement.

"A strong Europe needs good German-Polish cooperation, especially in these times," Steimeier added. 

During the election campaign, Nawrocki called for controls on the border with Germany to keep out migrants, and he also said he would like Berlin to pay wartime reparations to Poland.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during his inaugural visit to Warsaw, emphasized that the new conservative-led government in Berlin sees the issue of World War II reparations as legally closed.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised Karol Nawrocki's presidential victory in Poland, calling it a "fantastic win."

"What a nail-biter!," Viktor Orban wrote on X, referring to the election in which the two candidates were neck-and-neck. 
"We are looking forward to working with you," he added. 

Nawrocki would likely be an ally of other eurosceptics in central Europe, such as Obran and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Karol Nawrocki on his election victory, expressing confidence that the EU and Poland will continue their "good cooperation."

"We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values," von der Leyen wrote on X. 

"So let us work to ensure the security and prosperity of our common home," she added.

Andrzej Duda congratulated Karol Nawrocki, who will take over the Polish presidency from him in August.

In a social media post, Duda, who had endorsed Nawrocki, also thanked Poles for turning out in record numbers for the second round of a presidential election. Turnout was 71.31%, the electoral commission said.

"Thank you! For participating in the presidential elections. For the turnout. For fulfilling your civic duty. For taking responsibility for Poland. Congratulations to the winner! Stay strong Poland!" Duda wrote.

Polish conservative Karol Nawrocki won the run-off election for the presidency against liberal rival Rafal Trzaskowski, official results showed.

The National Election Commission said Nawrocki won 50.89% against 49.11% for Trzaskowski.

According to Polish media reports, the conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki has won the run-off election for president.

Major Polish media outlets such as the newspaper Rzeczpospolita and the news portal Onet.pl based this on the count of more than 99% of the votes by the Polish National Electoral Commission.

Nawrocki secured 50.89% of the vote, while Trzaskowski received 49.11%, they said.

The Electoral Commission said on its website that it had counted all of the votes and would officially announce the results later on Monday. 

Poland's president mainly has a ceremonial role. However, the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, can veto government bills, has a right to a say in the country's foreign policy and can propose new legislation.

Donald Tusk's pro-EU coalition government attempts at reform have been blocked several times by current conservative incumbent president, Andrzej Duda.

A late exit poll by Ipsos for broadcasters TVN, TVP and Polsat showed conservative historian Karol Nawrocki at 50.7%, and his rival, liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, at 49.3%.

It overturned the result of an earlier exit poll by Ipsos, published just after voting ended, which had put the 53-year-old Trzaskowski ahead with 50.3% against 49.7% for the 42-year-old Nawrocki.

The polls have a margin of error and it was still not clear who the winner was.

Election officials forecast that the final result will only be known early on Monday.

The two rivals contesting Poland's presidential elections are claiming victory as exit polls on Sunday night showed the race was still too close to call.

"We won... by a whisker," the AFP news agency quoted Warsaw's pro-EU mayor Rafal Trzaskowski as telling supporters after the poll showed him narrowly ahead with 50.3 percent.

Nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki, who was on 49.7 percent, told his supporters: "Tonight we will win. We will win and we will save Poland."

The forecasts were based on exit polls conducted in around 500 polling stations and have a margin of error of two percentage points.

The official final result is expected on Monday.

As polls closed in Poland's presidential runoff election, exit polls were too close to predict who might come out on top.

An Ipsos exit poll predicted that liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski won 50.3% of the vote and conservative historian Karol
Nawrocki won 49.7%.

Trzaskowsk is claiming he won the second round of the election.

Voter turnout appeared to be high with at least 54.91% of eligible voters casting their ballots by late Sunday afternoon, according to the electoral commission in Warsaw.

From local policies, working with parliament and the war in Ukraine, there's much at stake in the second round of the presidential elections in Poland.

DW asked people in Warsaw what kind of president they are hoping for. 

With the Polish election entering its final stage, DW gives you a glimpse of the tense runoff round.

The two presidential hopefuls in Poland's runoff vote cast their ballots on Sunday.

Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski posted a photo with his wife Malgorzata Trzaskowska on X, calling on Poles to head out and vote.

"Polling stations are open until 9 pm!" he wrote. 

Trzaskowski's rival, Karol Nawrocki, also posted "Long Live Poland," accompanied by a photo with his family.