Poland’s New President: Karol Nawrocki Wins by a Razor-Thin Margin - Chapter #3

High voter turnout, heated rhetoric, and a divided nation—Poland’s presidential race ends with a narrow win for a conservative candidate.

EURACTIV Poland ·

3 min read · 3 Jun 2025

A Tight Victory Confirmed

Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki has officially been elected the next President of Poland, the National Electoral Commission (Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza, PKW) announced on Monday morning (June 2nd). Nawrocki secured 50.89% of the vote, defeating his liberal rival in what has been one of the most closely contested elections since the fall of communism.

Sylwester Marciniak, the head of the PKW, confirmed the results at a press conference, noting the exceptionally high turnout of 71.63%, the highest since Poland’s first democratic presidential elections in 1990.

Over 189,000 ballots were declared invalid—more than half due to voters marking both candidates, and the rest for not choosing either. Despite this, the final result was delivered swiftly, just six hours after polls closed.

“We Will Save Poland,” Declares Nawrocki

Nawrocki, widely seen as the “citizens’ candidate” backed by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, celebrated his narrow win with emotionally charged words.

“We will win and save Poland. We will not allow Donald Tusk’s government to consolidate power,” he proclaimed in his post-election speech, referring to the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), which currently holds the majority in parliament.

His victory speech echoed PiS’s familiar rhetoric—accusing the ruling coalition of neglecting public finances and eroding national aspirations. Although polls suggested a dead heat, Nawrocki was confident from the start of the night that he would prevail.

Was It Too Close to Call?

Leading up to the official announcement, many observers predicted a photo finish. Even the head of the electoral commission admitted that the margin could be as small as 120,000 votes. Such a narrow result raised immediate questions about potential recounts or legal challenges.

However, in Poland, a close result does not automatically trigger a recount. Instead, specific complaints—known as electoral protests—must be filed. These can only be submitted within 14 days of the official announcement of results, and must then be evaluated by the Supreme Court.

At this stage, there is no clear indication that any of the parties will contest the outcome.

Will There Be Election Protests?

When asked about the possibility of recounts or legal challenges, PKW Chairman Marciniak was cautious.

“At this point, it would be premature to speculate,” he said, noting that the PKW will review the full electoral process before issuing a final report.

If any formal protests are filed, they will be reviewed by the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court—a body created during PiS’s controversial judicial reforms in 2018. This chamber is composed of judges appointed after 2017, under laws that have been widely criticized by the European Union for undermining judicial independence.

A Divided Nation, A Fragile Mandate

Though Nawrocki won the presidency, the result reflects a deeply polarized society. His victory secures a conservative counterbalance to the liberal government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, but also leaves the country split almost evenly down the middle.

It remains to be seen whether Nawrocki will attempt to build bridges or continue down a path of political confrontation. One thing is certain: young people in Poland—and across Europe—are watching closely.

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EURACTIV Poland

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