Poles elect president, polls give slight edge to Warsaw mayor

(Patria) - Around 29 million Poles are going to the polls today to elect a new president in the second round, who will serve a five-year term.

According to polls, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the ruling Civic Coalition (KO) narrowly leads Karol Nawrocki, the candidate supported by the main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), Reuters reports.

These two candidates represent opposing visions of Poland's international relations, security strategy, and social policy.

Trzaskowski (53), educated at Oxford and the son of a jazz musician, advocates for a liberal agenda that emphasizes the importance of women's rights and strong ties with the European Union and NATO.

He has promised "peaceful cooperation" with the government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as to help reverse the judicial changes implemented by PiS, which, according to criticism from the EU and from Poland itself, have undermined democratic checks and balances.

He stated that he is against accepting additional refugees after Poland has already received nearly a million Ukrainians fleeing the war, but that he remains committed to liberalizing abortion laws.

Trzaskowski believes that Poland's own security depends on Ukraine becoming a NATO member.

Nawrocki (42), a historian supported by the administration of US President Donald Trump, presents himself as a political outsider without past "baggage".

He wants Poland to follow a Trump-inspired path and believes that Washington, not Brussels, is Warsaw's key ally.

Nawrocki said that after years of mistakes, including energy dependence on Russia and the EU's climate agreement, Europe needs "a strong, conservative voice, and from Poland".

- I will make Poland the leader of the European Union in transatlantic relations. We have the best cards for that - he stated at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

His campaign is marked by nationalist rhetoric and a focus on traditional values.

Nawrocki is against abortion and wants coal mines to remain open until Poland develops its own nuclear energy, and he also opposes the EU's migration policy.

Although he claims to support continued aid to Ukraine in the war, he says he would not ratify Kyiv's application for NATO membership.

Nawrocki faces accusations from liberal media that he lied about owning a second property, which he allegedly received from an elderly man in exchange for a promise of care that he did not provide. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Trzaskowski, on the other hand, faces questions about whether a series of ads against his opponents violated campaign spending rules. He also denies any non-compliance with the law.

The elections are taking place in the context of a growing anti-establishment sentiment in Poland, with the far-right achieving its best result to date.

Public opinion researchers expect that the majority of far-right votes will go to Nawrocki.