Right Turn

In a nation long teetering between liberal aspirations and nationalist instincts, the latest presidential election in Poland has underscored just how finely balanced its political future remains.

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With right-wing historian Karol Nawrocki clinching the presidency by a 50.9 per cent to 49.1 per cent margin over liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, Poland has once again delivered a verdict that is as politically charged as it is symbolically potent. Mr Nawrocki's rise is not merely a personal triumph; it is a lifeline for the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which lost parliamentary power 18 months ago.

Though the Polish presidency is largely ceremonial, it holds a crucial power the veto which Mr Nawrocki is expected to wield to frustrate the pro-European Union agenda of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.