Trump's support helps nationalist Nafalotzki win Poland's presidential election

The Polish National Electoral Commission announced that nationalist candidate Karol Nafalotzki has won the country's presidential election.

The committee stated on Monday that all votes have been counted, and Nafalotzki, a staunch conservative who received opposition support, won with 50.89% of the vote in a fierce second-round contest against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, while the latter garnered 49.11% of the votes.

This result will further complicate the ruling of the centrist government in this increasingly important EU country, especially given Nafalotzki's promise to use the presidential veto to block reforms by Prime Minister Tuske, and his welcome from right-wing forces in Europe and the United States.

The 42-year-old Nafalotzki, a historian and amateur boxer who once managed a national memorial institution, ran on a populist platform, promising to prioritize economic and social policies for Poles over those of other nationalities, including refugees from neighboring Ukraine.

An early exit poll released on Sunday night had suggested Trzaskowski was likely to win, but the results of updated polls hours later began to shift.

Nafalotzki will succeed Andrzej Duda - who is also allied with the nationalist conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) - whose second and final term will end on August 6th this year.

Duda has been obstructing efforts by the coalition government to reverse judicial politicization reforms introduced by PiS during its 2015-2023 rule, which has led to disputes between Poland and the EU over the rule of law.

Tuske has also struggled to fulfill his campaign promises, such as implementing reforms to ease abortion restrictions and improve rights for sexual minorities (LGBTQ).

Some analysts believe these unfulfilled promises may make it difficult for Tuske to complete his term until the next parliamentary election scheduled for late 2027.

Trump's support

Nafalotzki's victory received strong backing from the American MAGA movement ("Make America Great Again").

U.S. President Trump welcomed the Polish Eurosceptic to the White House, and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kris Tom had visited Poland last week to support him.

With about 10,000 troops stationed in Poland, Tom hinted that military relations between the two countries might deepen further under Nafalotzki's presidency.

Nafalotzki's supporters claim he will restore the "normalcy" of the country like Trump did, and during Nafalotzki's campaign, the "MAGA" movement flag frequently appeared at his rallies.

Despite both sides of Poland's political spectrum strongly opposing Russia, Nafalotzki echoed some of Trump's remarks on Ukraine.

Although the incoming president promised to maintain national support for Ukraine, he criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky and accused him of exploiting allies.

The incoming president also capitalized on growing public sentiment in Poland against nearly one million Ukrainian refugees in the country, blaming them for taking advantage of Polish generosity, and promising to prioritize Polish citizens in social services such as healthcare and education.

Right-wing forces in Europe were disappointed by the failure of nationalist George Simion in Romania's presidential election last month, but they quickly began celebrating Nafalotzki's victory now.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Siarado expressed on his Facebook page that this election result brought "new victories" for "European patriots."

Source: aljazeera

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833889773517897/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.