Karol Nawrocki, the right-wing candidate in Poland’s presidential runoff election, won on Sunday night and will be the country’s next president.
Nawrocki defeated Rafał Trzaskowski by the slimmest of margins, winning 50.89% of the vote. Trzaskowski, the left-wing candidate and current mayor of Warsaw, received 49.11% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.
The initial voting for Poland’s presidential election was held on May 18, 2025, with candidates vying to replace Andrzej Duda, who is term-limited. That election featured 13 candidates running to be Poland’s president, the most in the nation’s history, according to reports.
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Trzaskowski, of the Civic Coalition, won the first round of voting, obtaining 31.36%. Nawrocki, a registered independent, finished second with 29.54%. However, because no candidate received over 50% of the vote in that round, both advanced to Sunday’s runoff election. Initial exit polls from the election had Trzaskowski leading, reported the Associated Press. Nawrocki jumped ahead in later polls and would hold on for the victory by the end of the day.
Poland’s constitution stipulates that presidents serve a five-year term and can only win reelection once. Nawrocki will replace Duda on August 6, when the current president’s second term officially ends.