1 week ago Donald Tusk will call vote of confidence after Polish election setback

Prime minister seeks to shore up his fragile coalition and vows not to back downDonald Tusk says he will call a vote of confidence in his government to try to shore up support for his coalition after a bruising setback in Poland’s presidential election.In his first public comments since Sunday’s election result was declared, the prime minister sought to regain momentum as he promised to “get to work” and submit a number of draft laws. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Poland’s presidential election result is a morale boost for Maga forces in Europe | Catherine De Vries

Karol Nawrocki’s win is a blow for prime minister Donald Tusk – and it symbolises a larger battle over the political narrativePolish voters returned to the polls on Sunday for the decisive round of a presidential election whose outcome reverberates far beyond Poland’s borders. The race was a showdown between two candidates who represent the country’s stark political and ideological divide: Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the far-right opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), and Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal and strongly pro-European mayor of Warsaw representing the Civic Platform (PO) party of the prime minister, Donald Tusk. The razor-thin victory for Nawrocki, who secured just over 50% of the vote, is a domestic setback for Tusk, but it also threatens wide and gloomy repercussions within the EU and beyond.Tusk’s return to power as prime minister in 2023, after previously serving from 2007 to 2014, was widely seen as a bid to re-anchor Poland within the Europea...

Politics

1 week ago Orbán and Le Pen cheer Karol Nawrocki’s election as Polish president

Far-right leaders congratulate nationalist candidate as result deals blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-EU agendaEurope live – latest updatesFar-right leaders in Europe have welcomed the victory of the nationalist opposition candidate, Karol Nawrocki, in Poland’s presidential elections, a result that deals a huge blow to the centre-right prime minister Donald Tusk’s reform and pro-EU agenda.Nawrocki, a conservative historian and former amateur boxer, won Sunday’s election with 50.89% of the vote, final figures showed on Monday, ahead of his rival, Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal Warsaw mayor and an ally of Tusk, who secured 49.11%. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Poland presidential election 2025: rightwing candidate Karol Nawrocki wins as Rafał Trzaskowski concedes election – live

Nawrocki’s victory over Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski is a blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-EU Polish governmentNawrocki wins presidential election runoff in blow to TuskAnalysis: Nawrocki win threatens Poland’s standing in EuropePresident of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said she expects “very good cooperation” to continue between the EU and Poland under the presidency of newly elected Karol Nawrocki.In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she said:I’m confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland. We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values. So let us work to ensure the security and prosperity of our common home.I congratulate Karol Nawrocki on his election as Polish President. I believe that under his leadership, Poland will continue to develop its democratic and pro-western orientation and that our countries will continue mutually beneficial cooperation. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Who is Karol Nawrocki? Conservative historian becomes Poland’s next president

The conservative historian won Poland's presidential election after cultivating a tough-guy image during his campaign

Politics

1 week ago Populist Nawrocki’s triumph threatens Poland’s place at Europe’s top table

Victory of radical-right candidate could seriously destabilise the coalition government of pro-EU prime minister Donald TuskEurope live – latest updatesThe victory margin of the nationalist Karol Nawrocki in Poland’s presidential elections may have been wafer-thin, but it marks a huge upheaval in the country’s political landscape whose impact will be felt not just in Warsaw but across the EU.Backed by the previous ruling conservative Law & Justice (PiS) party and, openly, by Donald Trump’s Maga movement, Nawrocki, a radical-right historian, defeated his liberal rival, the capital’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, by 50.89% to 49.11%. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Poland presidential election 2025: rightwing candidate Karol Nawrocki wins, official results show – live

Nawrocki’s victory over Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski is a blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-EU Polish governmentPoland: rightwing candidate Karol Nawrocki ahead in presidential election runoffPresident of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said she expects “very good cooperation” to continue between the EU and Poland under the presidency of newly elected Karol Nawrocki.In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she said:I’m confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland. We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values. So let us work to ensure the security and prosperity of our common home.I congratulate Karol Nawrocki on his election as Polish President. I believe that under his leadership, Poland will continue to develop its democratic and pro-western orientation and that our countries will continue mutually beneficial cooperation. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Poland: Eurosceptic nationalist Karol Nawrocki elected president in tight election

Karol Nawrocki campaigned on a promise to ensure economic and social policies favour Poles over other nationalities, including refugees from neighbouring Ukraine

Politics

1 week ago Nationalist candidate Nawrocki wins Poland presidential election

Historian came from behind to defeat centre-right rival Rafał Trzaskowski in win for Maga movement abroad

Politics

1 week ago Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election

Conservative Karol Nawrocki has won Poland’s weekend presidential runoff election, according to the final vote count

Politics

2 w. ago Polish presidential candidates neck and neck on eve of runoff vote

Polls show close-run contest after first round in which one rural municipality was decided by a single voterPoles will cast their votes on Sunday in the closest presidential runoff since the fall of communism, in an election that pits two different visions of the nation against each other. In Poland’s previous election in 2020, the conservative populist incumbent Andrzej Duda narrowly won the second-round vote against the pro-Europe mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, by 51% to 49%.This time it could be even closer. Polls show the difference between Trzaskowski and the nationalist rightwing historian Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by the Law and Justice party (PiS), which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023, to be within the margin of error. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago AP PHOTOS: Liberal mayor and conservative historian headed to presidential runoff in Poland

Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and a conservative historian, Karol Nawrocki, emerged as the front-runners in Poland’s presidential election Sunday, according to an exit poll, putting them on track to face off in a second round in two weeks.

Culture

3 w. ago ‘The same faces, swapping places’: Polish candidates aim to break two

Libertarian far-right Sławomir Mentzen and hard-left Adrian Zandberg among challengers as country prepares to vote in presidential electionHidden off a charming market square in central Poland, a bar offers the closest physical experience to walking into the internet.Stretching incongruously through medieval basements, Pub Mentzen in Toruń feels like it was designed by someone on a full-fat diet of online politics. As you enter, a gallery wall displays mugshots of “customers we don’t serve”, but instead of rowdy patrons, it features Polish political leaders, including at least five prime ministers. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Poland’s presidential election: What to know about the candidates, issues and likely outcomes

War in neighbouring Ukraine and Russian sabotage across the region are shaping the campaign trail

Politics