Description: Centrist liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski would face the conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki in the runoff presidential elections in Poland scheduled for 01 Jun. The Sunday vote count put Trzaskowski in a slim lead over Nawrocki as the candidates were at 31.36% and 29.54% respectively. The campaign from both camps before the election challenged Poland’s growing internal and external threats, such as crucial changes in the legislature, tackling of social and economic issues and the country’s pivotal positioning within the EU. Sunday’s results delivered a brief relief as the far – right candidates, despite marking record high support percentages, were excluded from the runoff election. Trzaskowski’s slim lead ahead of the runoff election could be rapidly depleted as the late resurgence in votes from the conservatives and the far – right nationalists could swing the vote towards Nawrocki. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been relentlessly campaigning Europe’s rearmament and Poland’s pioneering role in the bloc, as he unequivocally supported Trzaskowski.
Impact: The centrist Civic Coalition could reestablish a broad monopoly of governance with Trzaskowski being the favorite to win the runoff election in Jun. Warsaw’s mayor aims to bolster his party’s omnipresence on the Polish political landscape which would pave the way towards the much – needed reforms Poland aims to undertake in order to remain a consistent force of stability within the European Union. The slim lead that Trzaskowski currently has could be vaporized by the conservative and far – right wave of isolationism which is widely present in Poland. In case Karol Nawrocki manages to pull a reverse sweep and dethrone Trzaskowski as the next Polish President, the country faces low scale political destabilization which could potentially subvert the country’s efforts to pioneer Europe’s rearmament and remain Europe’s strategic stronghold in facing Russia.