Poland's electoral commission has declared victory for conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki in the second round of the country's tightly contested presidential election.
Securing 50.89% of the vote, Nawrocki defeated the liberal, pro-European Union candidate Rafal Trzaskowski by just over a percentage point.
Nawrocki campaigned on a promise to defend traditional Polish values. His opponent Trzaskowski, who is the mayor of Warsaw, had vowed to push ahead with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's plans to reinstate judicial independence and liberalize abortion laws. But with major veto powers, Nawrocki is expected to block Tusk's government in pursuit of a more nationalist agenda, much like his predecessor and outgoing President Andrzej Duda.
Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and amateur boxer, is new to politics and ran as an independent but was backed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Positioning himself as the underdog during his campaign, Nawrocki posted videos of himself at boxing rings and shooting ranges.
His strongman image also gained him approval from the Trump administration. Speaking at the Warsaw Conservative Political Action Conference last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem declared "Nawrocki needs to be Poland's next president."
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is among the first within the European Union to congratulate Nawrocki, calling it a "fresh victory for (European) patriots" in a Facebook post. Unlike Hungary, though, Nawrocki is in favor of continued support for Ukraine, although he opposes any bid from Kyiv for NATO membership.
Describing his opponent Rafal Trzaskowski — a veteran politician who speaks several languages — as an out-of-touch member of the urban elite, Nawrocki styled himself as an ordinary citizen to appeal to rural areas of the country where the Catholic church has more sway.
Both candidates mobilized the electorate; voter turnout was 71.31% — a record for the second round of a presidential election. The razor thin margin between Nawrocki and Trzaskowski highlights a deeply divided nation.
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