The challenges facing new Polish leader Nawrocki

Every election in Europe is now turning out to be an existential battle between liberals and conservatives, between pro-European Union (EU) and Euro-sceptics.

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After the Romanian presidential election, where the pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan clinched the election over the anti-EU conservative George Simion. Dan won a comfortable 54 per cent of the vote, though it was not overwhelming one in his support or for liberalism. The conservatives lost but they are in the field.

In Poland, it was the turn of the conservative Karol Nawrocki who edged past his liberal rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, by a narrow margin. Nawrocki got 50.82 per cent of the vote. But the Euro-sceptics were happy. George Simion, who was the runner-up in the Romanian election, wrote on X, “Poland WON”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called Nawrocki’s win a “fantastic victory”. The political divisions are sharp across the national boundaries in Europe. Nawrocki is opposed to refugees, and in Poland the refugees are from Ukraine.