Trump-affiliated contender secures victory in Poland's presidential race

GEnglish Translation

Hey there! Let's talk about the recent election in Poland. The new president, Karol Nawrocki, is a former historian who surprised everyone with his tight victory. But here's where it gets tricky - Poland also has a prime minister. The current one, Donald Tusk, leads a centrist coalition focused on restoring democratic institutions and the rule of law. Now, Nawrocki is a right-wing candidate, so what does his win mean? Let's get the lowdown from Andrzej Bobinski, managing director of Polityka Insight, a Warsaw-based policy think tank.

"Hello! Good to hear from you," says Andrzej.

"Hey, nice to have you here," I reply.

So, what power does the new president have?

"He's responsible for foreign policy and defense, security policy, and he has veto rights," Andrzej explains. "So whatever the government approves and pushes through parliament, the president has to sign off on, or can veto, thus blocking the government's work."

Interesting! So he's got a lot more power than some presidents do. Now, I'm curious to understand this from an outsider's perspective. I'm aware that the old government from years ago in Poland was criticized for meddling with the free press, damaging the courts. The newer government, Donald Tusk government, is trying to fix that. Can the new president stand in the way, and does he want to?

"I believe he does want to, but I don't think he can stand in the way today and tomorrow. But what he can do is essentially pave a way for the party that fielded him, Law and Justice, to get back to government and to get back to the illiberal revolution that we saw between 2015 and 2023," Andrzej shares his thoughts.

So, what does his election then, say about the mood of Poland's electorate and what they want?

"Well, it was a very close race. Actually, when we saw the exit polls, it seemed like Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal candidate, had won it. But when the late polls came in, the tide turned, and we saw a victory by Karol Nawrocki, who won by just over one percentage point," Andrzej summarizes.

"This is a country that's very, very divided, and I think that this was a referendum against the government," he continues. "As is often the case, especially in these times, people voted against the government."

What caused people to vote against the government in this case?

"I think that basically, people were unhappy with the fact that the government hadn't delivered on the reforms it had promised in 2023," Andrzej explains. "There was a huge excitement in 2023 when this government, the ruling coalition, had defeated Law and Justice. And there was this feeling that, finally, the country had overthrown and beat the right-wing populists. And nothing much happened later."

And I'd name rule of law on the one hand and abortion laws on the other, he adds.

Wow.

One other thing in about 10 seconds here. You said that the president oversees foreign policy. Would he change Poland's great support for Ukraine?

"He might. He's very anti-Ukrainian, and I think this was one of the reasons why Karol Nawrocki won," Andrzej concludes. "There's a growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment. It's rather about Ukrainian migrants to Poland rather than Ukrainian foreign policy or the situation, the war."

Thanks for your insights, Andrzej Bobinski in Warsaw.

This transcript is a creative adaptation from the original NPR transcript, made to provide an informal, straightforward, and engaging reading experience. For the original transcript, please refer to the source.

The new president, Karol Nawrocki, holds responsibility for foreign policy and defense, as well as security policy, and possesses veto rights, which enables him to block the government's work if he disagrees with a policy or legislation.
The election of Karol Nawrocki might indicate a shift in Poland's political landscape, as his win was a closer race than expected and could be seen as a referendum against the government, suggesting dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition's performance in delivering promised reforms, particularly on issues like rule of law and abortion laws.
One area where the new president might make significant changes is Poland's foreign policy towards Ukraine, as he is reportedly anti-Ukrainian, potentially leading to a more critical approach towards Ukraine, particularly in regard to Ukrainian migrants in Poland.