On Sunday in a close contest that could have significant implications for the pro-EU government’s future, Poles will choose a new president.
Opinion polls state that national conservative historian Karol Nawrocki and liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of Warsaw are neck and neck.
Though he plays a mainly ceremonial function, Poland’s president does has considerable negative influence.
Legislation may be vetoed by the president; hence, the coalition government lacks a sufficient legislative majority to reverse it.
Strongly opposed to Donald Tusk’s coalition, Karol Nawrocki is projected to exercise the veto as much if not more often than the current conservative President Andrzej Duda, who cannot compete for a third consecutive term.
Since he took office eighteen months ago, Tusk has not been able to fulfill many of his campaign pledges due to Duda’s veto and split within his coalition between conservatives, centrists, and socialists.
Tusk promised Polish women legal abortion until the twelfth week of pregnancy, and voters he would uphold judicial rule of law.
Many critics claim that under the previous Law and Justice-led government that lost authority in late 2023, Poland’s top courts were politicised.
On both matters, Tusk has made little progress.
Rafal Trzaskowski promised to work with the government to achieve both after only passing the first round of the election on May 18.
Whichever contender rallies their supporters for Sunday’s second round run-off will determine who turns out to be the next President.
