NATIONALIST OPPOSITION CANDIDATE Karol Nawrocki narrowly secured a victory in Poland’s presidential election.

The 42-year-old nationalist was congratulated by US President Donald Trump following his win.

“TRUMP ALLY WINS IN POLAND, SHOCKING ALL IN EUROPE,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Congratulations Poland, you picked a WINNER!”

Nawrocki and his supporting party Law and Justice (PiS) have vowed to strengthen ties with Trump and the US.

Nawrocki, a conservative politician, defeated the centrist Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski with a vote of 51% to his opponent’s 49%. Trzaskowski ran with the support of the country’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The Eurosceptic president-elect is likely to use his position to hinder the implementation of  Tusk’s liberal policies. Nawrocki is an outspoken critic of Tusk’s agenda on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

Who is Karol Nawrocki?

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Nawrocki is a historian with a PhD in the area of anticommunist opposition in Poland. He is an independent politician but is supported by PiS. 

PiS were in government for eight years – until the election 18 months ago that saw the party replaced by Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform coalition. 

Nawrocki is the head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). The IPN is an organisation tasked with investigating and prosecuting Nazi and communist crimes between 1917 and 1980. 

During the presidential campaign, Nawrocki’s critics questioned his role at the IPN as he had unique access to state secrets.

He also served as the director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk from 2017 until 2021. 

Nawrocki supports the close relationship between the Catholic Church and state, and the criminalisation of abortion. He is opposed to the legalisation of same-sex marriage and Poland’s adopting of the Euro as its currency.

Identified as a right-wing populist and a vehement opposer of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Nawrocki will succeed incumbent Andrzej Duda, also from PiS. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that Sunday’s election result was a “red card” for the government.

Nawrocki is a former boxer and has authored and co-authored numerous books.

In 2018, an unknown author Tadeusz Batyr published a book documenting the life of a gangster from 1980s communist Poland. Appearing on TV to promote the book, wearing a hat with his face blurred, the author claimed  he was “really inspired” by historian Karol Nawrocki. 

It emerged during the presidential campaign that “Tadeusz Batyr” was a pseudonym for Nawrocki, and he was praising himself. Facing ridicule, Nawrocki said that literary pseudonyms “are nothing new” and that he was the only historian in Poland “who had the courage to study organised crime”.

Today, Tusk said a parliamentary confidence vote to demonstrate support for his pro-EU camp after its election loss will be held on 11  June.

“The vote of confidence in the government will take place on Wednesday, June 11,” Tusk told reporters before a cabinet meeting.