Amateur boxer decides Poland’s election and confuses Europe | News

In the pens of the editors

At the moment when victory seemed inevitable for liberal candidate Rafal Czaszkowski, his nationalist rival Karol Noworowski was silent, content with a confident sentence: “We will win.” Indeed, he did. Hours later, he was officially declared president of Poland, dealing a blow to Warsaw’s current pro-European government.

Nawrotski promised to protect Poland’s sovereignty and put the interests of its citizens ahead of other nationalities, including refugees from Ukraine, and during his campaign, he repeatedly criticized what he described as excessive interference by Brussels (the European Union) in his country’s affairs.

Following the announcement of his victory, Nawrotski thanked the voters, emphasizing his commitment to serving Poles and defending the interests of a country that “cherishes its traditions and respects its history.”

The close confidant of the U.S. president said Donald Trump said he will do his best to live up to the expectations of voters, emphasizing representing Warsaw on the international stage and defending its status and rights.

As for Czaskowski, he conceded defeat and congratulated Nawrotski on his victory, thanking everyone who voted for him.

In an election that took Poles’ breath away, Karol Noworowski’s victory came contrary to the initial exit polls that favored the ruling coalition candidate Rafal Czaskowski, and also contradicted the results of the first round, in which the liberal candidate led with 31.36%, before the official results settled the race in favor of the nationalist candidate in an election that witnessed a record turnout of about 72%.

According to the final results announced on Monday morning, Karol Noworowski narrowly won the presidential race, winning 50.89% of the vote compared to 49.11% for his rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Czaskowski, in an election round that was characterized by intense competition and division among voters.

Nationalist path

Governor Nowotski’s victory appears to have put the country on a nationalist path, raising doubts about the viability of the centralized government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk after the defeat of his liberal ally in the presidential race.

Despite the constitutional separation between the government and the presidency, the president’s veto power gives Nawrocki the ability to block Tusk’s pro-EU agenda, making his victory a real obstacle to the current government’s direction.

A conservative victory threatens to undermine Poland’s position within the EU, as he is expected to align himself with nationalist leaders who are skeptical of the bloc, which could exacerbate divisions within it.

On Ukraine, although he has supported Kiev in the war with Moscow, he has taken a harder line on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than his predecessors, and opposes Kiev’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)), and links this to its recognition of the “massacres of the Volhynians” (a Polish minority living in Ukraine) during the World War II.

New ally

Right-wing leaders in Europe were quick to welcome their new ally in the anti-EU camp. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Karol Nawrotsky on his “brilliant victory,” adding that he looked forward to cooperating with him.

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen described the result as “good news” and “a rejection of the hegemony of the Brussels oligarchy and its attempt to impose its will above national democracies.”

Amateur boxer and historian

Karol Nawrotsky, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer with no previous political record, entered politics for the first time with this presidential election, according to international newspapers.

He was nominated by the Nationalist Law and Justice Party as a new face in a bid to regain power after losing it to Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition in 2023.

Although many considered the party to have been written off, Nawrotsky’s victory was a boost to the strategy of its leader Jarosław Kaczyński, while observers saw the declining popularity of Tusk and his candidate Czaszkowski as one of the reasons for the defeat.

The results of these elections will not only shape the next phase in Poland, but were seen as a vote on Europe’s political identity and the balance of power between liberal and conservative nationalist tendencies.