A non-partisan candidate representing the right-wing conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), Karol Niedziałkowski, won the presidential election held on Sunday with a narrow margin, being elected as the new president of Poland. He supports the PiS's anti-German stance and received support from U.S. President Donald Trump during his campaign.
According to statistics published on the website of the National Electoral Commission of Poland on June 2, the non-partisan candidate Karol Niedziałkowski won in the second round of the presidential election held on June 1, receiving 50.89% of the votes. His rival, Rafal Trzaskowsk, the pro-European Civic Coalition candidate and Mayor of Warsaw, received 49.11% of the votes. With a population of nearly 38 million, approximately 29 million registered voters participated in this election, with a turnout rate of about 71.63%. Both candidates received over 10 million votes, with Niedziałkowski receiving about 370,000 more votes than Trzaskowsk. No candidate received more than half of the votes in the presidential election held on May 18. As a result, Niedziałkowski and Trzaskowsk entered the second round of voting on June 1 due to their leading positions in terms of vote share.
42-year-old Niedziałkowski is an independent conservative historian and former amateur boxer with no political experience. This time, he ran as a candidate for Poland's largest opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS). The party was the ruling party in Poland from 2015 to 2023, placing the judiciary under political control during its term and engaging in continuous conflicts with the Brussels-based European Union over interference in the separation of powers. In 2023, the center-left alliance retook power, with former European Council President Tusk returning as prime minister. However, there have been disagreements between him and President Andrzej Duda from the Law and Justice Party. Thanks to the powerful veto power granted by the presidency, Duda hindered Tusk's reform plans.
In Poland, the presidential term is five years. The president not only represents the country externally but also appoints the head of government and cabinet members, influencing foreign policy, and serves as the supreme commander of the Polish Armed Forces during wartime. Most importantly, the Polish president can use the veto power to create trouble for the government.
Nationalist Conservative Pro-Trump
During the campaign, Niedziałkowski had a brief meeting with Trump at the White House. Last week, when U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Nielsen visited Poland, she urged Poles to vote for Niedziałkowski to ensure close relations between Poland and Trump. Niedziałkowski tends to represent the PiS's anti-German line, demanding compensation for losses inflicted on Poland by Nazi Germany during World War II. He opposes Ukraine's entry into NATO, vows to defend Poland's sovereignty, and emphasizes that he does not want the EU to interfere in Poland. During his campaign, he promised to prioritize economic and social policies for Poles rather than other nationalities, including refugees from neighboring Ukraine.
The results of the election on June 1 also highlighted severe political divisions in Poland. Trzaskowsk won in rapidly growing cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, and Lodz, while Niedziałkowski led in smaller towns and rural areas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Niedziałkowski immediately and expressed confidence that the EU could continue to maintain "very good cooperation" with Poland.
Source: According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur and others
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833870710124617/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.