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yesterday

Poland's Runoff Pits Pro-EU Mayor Against Trump-Backed Nationalist

Voter mobilization will decide whether the next president advances EU integration policies or blocks them with veto authority.

A combination picture shows two leading candidates in the Polish presidential election, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, Civic Coalition presidential candidate, smiling during a visit to the Weglewski farm, ahead of the second round of Polish presidential election, in Buczek, May 29, 2025, and Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, reacting during his final rally, ahead of the second round of presidential election, in Biala Podlaska, Poland, May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
This combination of photos shows Rafal Trzaskowski, left, in Warsaw, Friday, May 9, 2025, and Karol Nawrocki, right, in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (AP Photos/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
A man rides a bicycle past presidential campaign posters for liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski on Friday May 30, 2025, in Dziekanow Lesny , near Warsaw Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
A man rides a bicycle past presidential campaign posters for liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski on Friday May 30, 2025, in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Overview

  • Following a fragmented May 18 first round, Poles are voting in a June 1 runoff between Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and nationalist Karol Nawrocki.
  • Opinion polls show Trzaskowski holding a narrow lead within the margin of error, making overall turnout the decisive factor in a tight race.
  • Trzaskowski advocates deeper EU ties and Ukraine’s NATO membership while Nawrocki, endorsed by Donald Trump, prioritizes U.S. relations and would oppose Kyiv’s bid.
  • The president’s power to veto legislation means the winner could either reinforce Prime Minister Tusk’s reform agenda on social and judicial issues or serve as a check on it.
  • Under-30 voters backed far-right and anti-establishment candidates in the first round, and their participation now holds the balance between the two main parties.