Karol Nawrocki elected President of Poland, defeated ruling party candidate Rafal

Opposition candidate and nationalist conservative leader Karol Nawrocki has won the presidential election in Poland by a narrow margin in a very close contest. The results that came on Monday are a big setback for the pro-EU government.

According to the election results that came on Monday, Karol got 50.89 percent votes. While the ruling party candidate and liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski got 49.11 percent votes. The election results indicate that Poland may take a nationalist path under the leadership of its new leader.

There is a possibility of political deadlock due to this result because Nawrocki can use veto as president to thwart the liberal policy agenda of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The Tusk government is trying to reverse the judicial reforms done by the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government.

However, the current President Andrzej Duda has blocked these efforts. He is an ally of PiS. It is expected that Karol Nawrocki will also continue this. Rafal, the candidate of Tusk's ruling Civic Coalition Party, was heading towards victory in the initial exit polls on Sunday, but a few hours later he fell behind by a narrow margin in the election results.

Know about Karol Nawrocki

42-year-old Karol is a former boxer and historian. PIS was in power from 2015 to 2023. Tusk came to power in the 2023 elections. In Poland's system, most of the powers are with the Prime Minister, but the role of the President is not merely formal. The President has the power to influence foreign policy and has a veto.

Poland's Prime Minister will present a vote of confidence motion in Parliament

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday that he would present a motion in Parliament to seek a vote of confidence in his coalition government. Tusk has taken this decision because his allies have lost the second round of elections for the presidency. The election result raises questions about whether Tusk's multiparty coalition will be able to survive until the end of its term in late 2027. If he wins the confidence vote, it would show he has a mandate to govern. It is unclear when the confidence vote will take place.