Pro-Trump Nawrocki wins Presidential elections in Poland adding to woes of EU

Right Victory is a major blow to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition government

- BY SATYAKI CHAKRABORTY

For European Union, its political woes are showing no signs of abating as the June 1 Presidential runoff results in Poland showed that the populist right opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki backed by the Law and Justice Party(PIS) won defeating his pro-European rival RafalTrzaskowski in a neck to neck contest.

Nawrocki got 50.89 per cent of the votes as against his rival's 49.11 per cent. Nawrocki is anti-EU and pro-Trump. His victory is a major blow for the coalition government led by Donald Tusk and is expected to intensify the political crisis in Poland with the newly elected President and the serving Prime Minister Donald Tusk having opposing views on aid to Ukraine, security policy in Europe and stand on relationship with EU.

The 42-year-old Nawrocki has been endorsed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.Nawrocki campaigned under the slogan “Poland First, Poles First” on the lines of Donald Trump’s MAGA slogan in America. He has been opposing the PM Donald Tusk’s policies vehemently. While not fully denouncing Ukraine in its present war with Russia, the President elect in the course of his campaign strongly opposed Tusk’s aid to the Ukraine refugees.