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Euronews
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Poles on cooperation between Nawrocki and Tusk: 'Two different worlds'
The victory of conservative Karol Nawrocki's victory in Poland's weekend presidential runoff is likely to cause further division and political instability between the centrist government and the new president, according to analysts and citizens alike. Nawrocki, who was backed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party at home and endorsed by US President Donald Trump, won 50.89% of votes in Sunday's race against Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%, according to election commission data published on Monday. The 42-year-old nationalist has pledged to hinder Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist, pro-EU government until its term ends in late 2027, just as the outgoing President, Andrzej Duda, has done during his presidency. Nawrocki is set to take office on 6 August. Tusk announced on Monday that he will call for a parliamentary vote of confidence in his coalition government. While his government exists separately from the presidency, the president holds power to veto laws, and Nawrocki's victory will make it extremely difficult for Tusk to press his pro-European agenda and push through key promises including a civil union law for same-sex couples and a less restrictive abortion law. Nawrocki opposes such measures. Euronews spoke to several residents of Warsaw about whether relations between Tusk's government and the new president-elect would improve compared to the current reality. "There is no agreement between the government and the president. There are two different worlds," one resident of Warsaw told Euronews. Another person said: "They are on opposite sides and don't agree. But Nawrocki is a big unknown." However, another individual said: "I hope, however, that wisdom will win out and somehow these relations will settle down. And this nation will not be as divided as it is at the moment." 'Deeply divided' Election data results show that he difference between Nawrocki and Trzaskowski was fewer than 370,000 votes, or 1.78 percentage points — the smallest gap in a presidential run-off since 1989. "Poland remains a deeply divided country," said Jacek Kucharczyk, the president of the Polish Institute of Public Affairs. "Although the electoral turnout was highest ever in history of presidential elections, Nawrocki's margin of victory is very small, which means that half of Poland will be cheering his presidency, whereas half of Poland, the other half, remains deeply worried or even disturbed," he added. Nawrocki, a conservative historian and amateur boxer with no prior political experience, had presented the election as a referendum on Tusk's 18-month-old government. In his first public comments since his victory was announced, Nawrocki thanked those who voted for him and said he would work for the causes that are important to them "We want to live in a safe country with a strong economy, one that cares for the most vulnerable. A country that matters in international, European, and transatlantic relations. A country that cherishes its centuries-old traditions and respects its history," he wrote on social media. Trzaskowski conceded defeat and congratulated Nawrocki. "I fought for us to build a strong, safe, honest, and empathetic Poland together," he wrote on social media. Speaking on Monday, President Duda said he hoped the election result would be "an unambiguous signal" to Tusk and the government that the majority of Poles expect to see the "kind of policy ... that Nawrocki proposes and preached during his campaign". Following the election result, Nawrocki has received congraulations from leaders including Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Balkan Insight
2 days ago
- Politics
- Balkan Insight
Poland and France, towards a promising reset?
June 27, 2025 - Cyrille Bret - Articles and Commentary Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a groundbreaking treaty in Nancy on May 9th 2025. Photo: Office of the Prime Minister of Poland / Over the last month, Poland has been very high on the French political agenda. Or perhaps we should say, once more. French leaders, diplomats and analysts have been scrutinizing both the diplomatic rapprochement between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Emmanuel Macron on May 9th, as well as the presidential election leading to the victory of the PiS supported candidate, Karol Nawrocki, on June 1st. Closely followed by Paris, these two major political events can appear to be puzzling. On the one hand, the Polish leadership is taking important steps in reviving its relation with Paris, Brussels and the 'European liberal mainstream'. Yet, on the other hand, the Polish voters sent a conservative and Eurosceptic message to its own coalition government and to all the liberal European leaders. But let us focus on the bilateral relations between France and Poland and on the perception that the French have now acquired of Poland's fast-growing role in Europe. Back to square one? Since the appointment of Donald Tusk as prime minister on December 13th, after a tense general election, the French government had been experiencing a 'Polish relief'. The 'PiS decade' seemed to be over, the Weimar Triangle was back on track and political and economic ties could be revamped. Cooperation at the European level was to overcome the stumbling blocks of the constitutional and judicial system reforms implemented by the previous Morawiecki government and the Duda presidency. However, the victory of Nawrocki in the second highly disputed round of the presidential election has been seen in Paris as a setback to the potential reset in bilateral relations, as well as the 'Polish normalization' hoped for by Macron. Assessing Polish political life by their own standards, the French elites branded those electoral results as 'mixed messages' to Warsaw's partners in Europe. Indeed, the PiS candidate, now president elect, who will take office on August 6th, has often been labelled in France as the 'Polish Trump'. He is continuously criticized for his Eurosceptic stance by the ruling parties. What seems to be mixed messages from Paris are in fact domestically understandable. The Polish political stage is, has been, and probably will remain, divided, disputed and heated. Thus, Paris must live with a recurring question: can Poland be trusted as a reliable partner (to Macron) on the European stage? Or is the promising reset established in Nancy already ailing? Is there now any 'Polish relief' or is it 'back to square one'? A personal and electoral rapprochement To France, in the long, rich and sometimes tumultuous alliance between Warsaw and Paris, a significant milestone was reached on May 9th in Nancy. Back then, the two countries added a new comprehensive bilateral treaty to their multilateral agreements (EU, NATO, Weimar Triangle, etc.) that have bound them together since the end of the communist bloc and the 2004 EU enlargement. To Paris, Macron and the liberal Europhile elites of the business circles, this strategic agreement is of real substance. Many pro-government French media outlets have been highlighting the mutual assistance clause of the treaty, comparing it to the pre-war alliance against Nazi Germany and underlining its importance for the European Union's defence initiatives. Within NATO and Europe, such bilateral military agreements are rare: during the Macron presidency, the only precedent is the strategic agreement signed with Greece in 2021. And outside of Europe, France is striking such deals only with prominent military powers such as India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. This has been done in support of the country's defence industry campaigns. To a lesser extent, some diplomats and observers have emphasized that the new course taken by the bilateral relationship has put an end to a decade-long period of partisan frictions between the PiS Polish governments and the diplomacy of Hollande and Macron. With the Morawiecki government and Macron's time in office, relations have been at their lowest for many years. The 'Nancy sequence' is nonetheless not deprived of ambiguity from the French perspective. First, with this treaty, Paris is a 'diplomatic follower' rather than a strategic pioneer. Indeed, it has been a while now since Poland has become an economic superpower in the EU. The more recent military build-up of Warsaw has also already taken place. Second, it can be contended that France's rapprochement with Poland is taking place quite late because it is prompted by partisan affinities between Macron and Tusk. The new treaty can even be seen as direct partisan support to the Civic Coalition campaign for the Polish presidential election. The strategic rapprochement is in the making but the electoral mutual support is even more obvious. Catching up with a lost decade This agreement is meant to trigger a 'reset' between Paris and Warsaw. It has been branded as a 'new chapter' by President Macron. The French authorities have given their best to make it symbolic and solemn, by choosing the right place and time. As for the place, all French kids learn at school that Nancy is the urban embodiment of Polish influence in France due to the role of the Duke of Lorraine, Stanislas Leszczynski. The city shows the traditional yet structural impact of Poland in France, along with the musical works of Chopin and the scientific achievement of Curie. Undisputedly, the new treaty has been signed in the most Polish town of France. As for the time, the French presidency has chosen to sign the treaty exactly when Warsaw and Paris have converged in supporting Ukraine, resisting the new US presidential administration and launching a new European defence initiative. Killing two birds with one stone, President Macron is catching up with the Polish economic miracle and supporting the Civic Coalition electoral campaign. Indeed, the treaty goes far beyond security and defence cooperation and cements various economic ties and endeavours. France and Poland have been partnering for a long time in order to bolster an ambitious EU Common Agriculture Policy. They even had a clear, objective alliance throughout the PiS versus Macron controversies to protect this almost federal policy against fiscal cuts. New fields of cooperation are now being opened up by the 'Nancy spirit', such as nuclear energy. This is likely to create business opportunities in Poland regarding the jewels of the (French) crown, such as the major state companies EDF, Orano and Framatome. Nuclear energy, defence, agriculture… All these topics are very dear to French (political) hearts and to Macron's policies. One can say that the Polish charm offensive in France has been impressive. And that France has ultimately been rewarded for initiatives it did not take over the last decade. Towards a common roadmap? Can this agreement lead to concrete outcomes for France, Poland and the European Union? Let us put aside the tactical rapprochement, the electoral fight and the PR operations. Instead, it is better to assess the real level of potential that exists after the PiS victory in the presidential election. At their heart, the structural needs of the two countries can be combined and realigned. But at this stage we only are witnessing a convergence in the making. Poland – even with a president supported by PiS – needs to diversify its alliance network and enlarge its risk mitigation tools. The second Trump administration could prove be attractive for many PiS politicians. But it cannot be seen as reliable regarding the security of the country in the long run: all Polish citizens have witnessed the way Ukraine is constantly bullied by the US, the pro-Russian stance taken by President Trump, and his negligence towards NATO commitments. In a way, Poland can use the French strategic stance on the US to rebalance its influence on the US and in NATO. Both countries need also to make the most of the ReARM initiative. After all, they have large needs, enjoy solid defence industrial companies, and fear the German market share in the domain. Moreover, on Ukraine, Poland has gradually set the tone in Paris. For example, both countries now converge in their 'unwavering support' to Kyiv; they share the proposition to put 'boots on the ground' to secure any potential peace agreement; and they want to shape the ceasefire talks on Ukraine. May aspects of the structural bonds remain to be strengthened and disagreements to be bridged. First, economic and trade links are weak: Poland is only the tenth trade partner of France, while France is the fifth trade partner of Poland. Second, the Weimar Triangle (often declining but regularly revived) needs to be stabilized to become a more efficient scheme. The window of opportunity is there: Macron, Merz and Tusk have common goals. But Germany is obviously tempted to sing its own song. The 'Nancy spirit' can only become a real common roadmap if concrete actions are taken together in the long run. Reality checks The real impact of the 2025 bilateral treaty and the materialization of the 'Nancy spirit' are to be assessed in the coming months and years. Reality checks are to be performed, especially at times when the Macron presidency is entering its last period. Stumbling blocks are to be overcome on migration policies, Ukraine's EU accession process (France is tempted to delay it), economic ties (Poland relies on Germany, not on France) and domestic political fights (PiS will remain the main target of Macron's European politics). Progress is also to be made in the economic field, and fast. Yet, Poland and France can make all the difference in making sure that Europeans have a seat at the negotiation table on Ukraine and that Germany will seriously rearm. As of today, relations between the two countries are proving to be promising. Let us closely follow whether the administrations will keep their promises. The reset is on its way. However, it is far from its destination. Cyrille Bret is an associate researcher at Notre Europe – Institut Jacques Delors. New Eastern Europe is a reader supported publication. Please support us and help us reach our goal of $10,000! We are nearly there. Donate by clicking on the button below. Donald Tusk, Eastern flank, Emmanuel Macron, EU, Europe, France, Poland, Polish foreign policy, Polish-French relations
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Were there irregularities in Poland's presidential election?
Polish presidential elections (Image credits: Deutsche Welle) Ever since Karol Nawrocki was declared the winner of the June 1 presidential election, The Polish right has been brimming over with confidence. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, is mobilizing his supporters, readying them for a tough battle with the pro-EU center-left government of prime minister Donald Tusk. Kaczynski aims to work with Nawrocki to bring down Tusk's government and return to power at the latest after the next parliamentary election in 2027. But news that Poland's Supreme Court has been flooded with complaints about the election is casting a pall over the opposition's jubilation. 50,000 complaints Malgorzata Manowska, the first president of the Supreme Court of Poland, said more than 50,000 complaints had been received. And it has been reported that there are still sacks full of protests yet to be registered. Those filing complaints claim that there were irregularities in the count to the detriment of Nawrocki's pro-EU opponent, Rafal Trzaskowski. 'We will not tolerate such fraud' Speaking at the first public PiS event since the election, Kaczynski on Sunday accused the governing coalition of seeking to call into question the result of the election. "We will not tolerate such fraud, Kaczynski told supporters. "We will not allow the election to be stolen from us." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Essen: GEERS sucht 700 Testhörer für Hörgeräte ohne Zuzahlung GEERS Undo Nawrocki narrowly won the second round of the presidential election on June 1, getting roughly 51 per cent of the vote to Trzaskowski's 49 per cent. Addressing the prime minister, the Nawrocki said: "The future president will not allow Poland to be robbed of its democracy and the freedom to elect its president." Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian, called on Tusk to "abstain from hysterical reactions and stop destroying Polish democracy." He is scheduled to be inaugurated on August 6. Tusk calls for clarification Tusk initially responded with great restraint to reports of electoral irregularities. Immediately after the runoff election, reports appeared on social media, saying Nawrocki was often surprisingly ahead in constituencies where Trzaskowski had clearly been in front in the first round. Because Tusk and other leading members of his party, Civic Platform (PO), said nothing about the allegations, PO lawmaker Roman Giertych seized the initiative. He uploaded to the Internet a form he said anyone who wanted to lodge a complaint could simply fill out. "It was electoral fraud," declared the lawyer, who is one of PiS's fiercest critics. To compromise Giertych, the right-wing television channel Republika has for days been broadcasting recordings of private telephone calls made by the politician. It is likely that they were recorded using Pegasus spy technology. Prime minister versus president Tusk has since cast his restraint aside, clashing with the outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, during a meeting of the National Security Council last week. Duda comes from the same political camp as Nawrocki. The two also clashed on X. "Are you not just curious, as people, about the real election outcome? Of course you are. And, as we know, honest people have nothing to fear," Tusk posted, addressing Duda, Kaczynski and Nawrocki directly. "Mr Tusk and his colleagues cannot accept defeat," Duda retorted. "I am not curious about the election result because I know the result. The State Electoral Commission announced it long ago," he posted, emphasising that Nawrocki had won by a margin of just under 370,000. Government not calling for recount The Supreme Court has registered about 10,000 of the written complaints submitted. In the case of 13 commissions, a recount was ordered, with errors discovered in 11 constituencies. In most cases, votes for Trzaskowski were counted for Nawrocki or the names of the candidates were mixed up in the official record. In one case, the public prosecutor has launched proceedings. "We are not challenging the election result. We just want to clear up any problem cases," government spokesman Adam Szlapka said. Many members of the ruling coalition, including deputy prime minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, are of the opinion that the scale of the irregularities is not enough to call into question Nawrocki's victory. "No leader of the coalition parties has called for a recount of all votes," said Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, chairman of the New Left, on Tuesday after a coalition meeting. Supreme Court to decide next week The Supreme Court has until July 2 to investigate the complaints. The judges must give their verdict on the validity of the poll within 30 days of the election. Two sittings of the Supreme Court are scheduled to be held this Friday. Wojciech Hermelinski, a former head of the electoral commission, doubts that this will be enough in view of the number of complaints involved. Moreover, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court's decision will end the dispute because the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs (the Supreme Court chamber that decides on the validity of the election) was created by PiS and is not viewed as independent or impartial by either the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights. " The Polish judiciary is complete chaos," Manowska said. "I am not claiming that the presidential election was rigged," Bartosz Wielinski wrote in the Polish daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. "However, there are so many question marks in the debate about the result that a recount of all votes cast in the election runoff is becoming Poland's reason of state." Political scientist Antoni Dudek has cautioned the government against pushing the "myth of rigged elections." This myth would be extremely dangerous for the stability of the Polish state and could lead to violence or even a civil war, Dudek told the television channel Polsat on Monday. Meanwhile, Szymon Holownia, speaker of the Polish parliament, sought to pour oil on troubled waters. "If the Supreme Court declares the election valid, I will call the National Assembly on August 6 so that Karol Nawrocki can take the oath of office," Holownia said on Tuesday.
DW
5 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Were there irregularities in Poland's presidential election? – DW – 06/24/2025
Thousands of complaints have been lodged over alleged voting irregularities in Poland's presidential election on June 1, challenging the victory of right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki. Will there be a recount? Ever since Karol Nawrocki was declared the winner of Poland's presidential election three weeks ago, the country's right-wing conservatives have been brimming over with confidence. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, is mobilizing his supporters, readying them for a tough battle with the pro-European, center-left government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Kaczynski aims to work with President Nawrocki to bring down Tusk's government and return to power at the latest after the next parliamentary election in 2027. But news that Poland's Supreme Court has been flooded with complaints about the election is casting a pall over the opposition's jubilation. Malgorzata Manowska, the first president of the Supreme Court of Poland, says that over 50,000 complaints have been received. And it is said that there are still sacks full of protests yet to be registered. Those filing complaints claim that there were irregularities in the count to the detriment of Nawrocki's pro-European opponent, Rafal Trzaskowski. Speaking at the first public PiS event since the election, Kaczynski on Sunday accused the governing coalition of seeking to call into question the result of the election. "We will not tolerate such fraud; we will not allow the election to be stolen from us," he told supporters. Nawrocki narrowly won the second round of the presidential election on June 1, getting roughly 51% of the vote to Trzaskowski's 49%. Addressing the prime minister, the president-elect said that "the future president will not allow Poland to be robbed of its democracy and the freedom to elect its president." Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian, called on Tusk to "abstain from hysterical reactions and stop destroying Polish democracy." He is due to be inaugurated on August 6. Tusk initially responded with great restraint to reports of electoral irregularities. Immediately after the runoff election, reports appeared on social media, saying that Nawrocki was often surprisingly ahead in constituencies where Trzaskowski had clearly been in front in the first round. Because Tusk and other leading members of his party, Civic Platform (PO), said nothing about the allegations, PO lawmaker Roman Giertych seized the initiative. He uploaded to the Internet a form he said anyone who wanted to lodge a complaint could simply fill out. "It was electoral fraud," declared the lawyer, who is one of PiS's fiercest critics. To compromise Giertych, the right-wing television channel Republika has for days been broadcasting recordings of private telephone calls made by the politician. It is likely that they were recorded using Pegasus spy technology. Tusk has since cast his restraint aside, clashing with the outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, during a meeting of the National Security Council last week. Duda comes from the same political camp as President-elect Nawrocki. The two also clashed on X. "Are you not just curious, as people, about the real election outcome? Of course you are. And as we know, honest people have nothing to fear," posted Tusk, addressing Duda, Kaczynski and Nawrocki directly. "Mr. Tusk and his colleagues cannot accept defeat," retorted Duda. "I am not curious about the election result because I know the result. The State Electoral Commission announced it long ago," he posted, emphasizing that Nawrocki had won by a margin of just under 370,000. The Supreme Court says it has registered about 10,000 of the over 50,000 written complaints submitted. In the case of 13 commissions, a recount was ordered, with errors discovered in 11 constituencies. In most cases, votes for Trzaskowski were counted for Nawrocki or the names of the candidates were mixed up in the official record. In one case, the public prosecutor has launched proceedings. "We are not challenging the election result. We just want to clear up any problem cases," emphasized government spokesman Adam Szlapka. Many members of the ruling coalition, including Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, are of the opinion that the scale of the irregularities is not enough to call into question Nawrocki's victory. "No leader of the coalition parties has called for a recount of all votes," said Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, chairman of the New Left, on Tuesday after a coalition meeting. The Supreme Court has until July 2 to investigate the complaints. The judges must give their verdict on the validity of the poll within 30 days of the election. Two sittings of the Supreme Court are due to be held this Friday. Wojciech Hermelinski, a former head of the electoral commission, doubts that this will be enough in view of the number of complaints involved. Moreover, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court's decision will end the dispute because the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs (the Supreme Court chamber that decides on the validity of the election) was created by PiS and is not viewed as independent or impartial by either the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights. "The Polish judiciary is complete chaos," says Malgorzata Manowska. "I am not claiming that the presidential election was rigged," wrote Bartosz Wielinski in the Polish daily newspaper . "However, there are so many question marks in the debate about the result that a recount of all votes cast in the election runoff is becoming Poland's reason of state." Political scientist Antoni Dudek has cautioned the government against pushing the "myth of rigged elections." This myth would be extremely dangerous for the stability of the Polish state and could lead to violence or even a civil war, Dudek told the television channel Polsat on Monday. Meanwhile, Szymon Holownia, speaker of the Polish parliament, sought to pour oil on troubled waters. "If the Supreme Court declares the election valid, I will call the National Assembly on August 6 so that Karol Nawrocki can take the oath of office," Holownia said on Tuesday.
Euronews
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Tusk and Duda clash over presidential election outcome
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda on Saturday clashed publicly over the outcome of the country's recent presidential election amid reports of vote-counting irregularities. Tusk addressed Duda, President-elect Karol Nawrocki and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslav Kaczynsky on X. He asked whether they were interested in learning the 'real vote count' and said 'the honest have nothing to fear.' Duda responded that the ruling camp was unable to accept defeat. 'You believe you must win, and that's it,' he said, 'I am not curious about the result because I know them.' The president defended the National Electoral Commission's (PKW) certification of the vote and called on the government to refrain from 'provocations, lies and pressure.' He added that the ballots remain under the authority of the Supreme Court and the PKW. Kaczynski said a recount is not permitted under Polish law. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticized Tusk's remarks, questioning whether coalition leaders should endorse what he described as the prime minister's 'madness.' According to the PKW, PiS backed Nawrocki won 10,606,877 votes in the runoff, narrowly defeating centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who received 10,237,286 votes. The electoral commission confirmed the results on Monday but acknowledged that 'incidents that could have affected the outcome' occurred in the second round. It said the Supreme Court would assess the implications. Local media have reported counting errors in several areas, including Krakow and Minsk Mazowiecki. Officials there admitted to misattributing votes cast for Trzaskowski to Nawrocki. The Supreme Court last week ordered a review of ballots from 13 electoral commissions. On Friday, Supreme Court spokesman Aleksander Stepkowski said about 4,300 electoral protests had been filed and the number could reach 50,000. He confirmed the court had begun receiving some submissions past the deadline and would soon assess how many were valid.
