Who is Poland's newly elected president?

Nawrocki is expected to pursue pro-US, anti-German and hardline migration policy

- Markus Ziener

BERLIN - Just two years after the liberals triumphed in Poland's parliamentary elections, the country is once again shifting sharply to the right.

Mr Karol Nawrocki, the winner of the June 1 presidential election, is a national conservative determined to obstruct the liberal agenda of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

His victory not only jeopardises Poland's fragile return to democratic norms and rule of law, but also delivers a serious blow to the European Union's (EU) unity.

While the Polish presidency is largely ceremonial, the president wields significant power in key areas, including the right to veto legislation. This applies to judicial reforms, budget laws and military appointments.

Although a presidential veto can be overridden by a three-fifths parliamentary majority, the current liberal coalition under Mr Tusk does not hold enough seats to do so.

"For the European Union, Mr Nawrocki's win is especially troubling because of the political chaos that is likely to follow in Poland. Mr Tusk's government will now be forced to focus on domestic infighting and the de facto start of the 2027 parliamentary campaign, leaving it little room to act on the European stage," Dr Agnieszka Lada-Konefal, the deputy director of the German Poland Institute, said in an interview with The Straits Times.

Just weeks ago, EU members France, Germany and Poland, alongside Britain, had demonstrated a new alignment in their policy on the war in Ukraine.

During a joint visit to Kyiv in May, the leaders reaffirmed their support for the country invaded by Russia in 2022, and presented a united front in contrast to the increasingly erratic foreign policy

Such declarations carry weight in Poland, where the US has long been seen as the country's ultimate protector - often more trusted than the EU.