Poland will hold a second round of presidential elections on Sunday, in which the ruling party's candidate, the liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski, will face nationalist Karol Nawrocki. The election is critical to the country's pro-European course, BTA reported, citing "Reuters".
Prime Minister Donald Tusk came to power in 2023 at the head of a broad alliance of left-wing and centrist parties and has promised to reverse changes made by the nationalist "PiS" government (PiS), which the EU says are undermining democracy and the rights of women and minorities.
However, reforms have been delayed, according to the government, mainly because of Poland's current president Andrzej Duda, who is an ally of PiS and uses his veto power against the ruling party's bills.
Here are some of the main themes of the presidential campaign:
SOCIAL ISSUES
Tusk won the 2023 parliamentary elections in part thanks to his promises to end the almost total ban on abortions introduced by the socially conservative PiS government.
Tusk and the left promised to allow abortions on demand up to the 12th week and to restore the right to terminate a pregnancy in cases of fetal abnormalities, but the coalition failed to reach an agreement on a bill. She also said that Duda would veto any liberalization in this regard.
Nawrocki says that under no circumstances would he sign a bill to soften the abortion regime, even in cases of fetal abnormalities.
Tsaskowski promises to fight for women's rights and support a possible proposal to liberalize "this medieval abortion law."
Tsaskowski also supports the adoption of a bill to legalize same-sex unions, and Nawrocki says he would not sign such a legal act.
In an attempt to attract the votes of left-wing voters and those on the pro-market liberal spectrum, Trsaskowski promises to support affordable housing programs and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy for small businesses.
THE SUPREMACY OF LAW
During its two terms in power from 2015 to 2023, PiS pushed through a series of judicial reforms that Brussels says undermine the rule of law and critics say are responsible for chaos in the justice system.
The EU Court of Justice ruled that the new procedure for appointing judges does not guarantee their impartiality and creates the conditions for challenging their decisions.
The Constitutional Court ruled that the Polish constitution takes precedence over EU law, thus undermining a key principle of the Union. Brussels has filed a lawsuit against Poland over this, and the current government does not recognize the Constitutional Court's decision at all.
Tusk's attempts to overturn the changes have so far failed, however, as they have been blocked by Duda, who continues to appoint judges following the rules of “Law and Justice“.
Nawrocki has signaled that he supports PiS's changes, which means the stalemate will continue if he wins. Trzaskowski, on the other hand, will support the government's efforts to overturn the changes.
Duda has also blocked the cabinet's efforts to bring PiS politicians to justice by pardoning two members of the previous government convicted of abuse of power.
Critics say that Nawrocki will be subject to the same pressure from PiS to pardon politicians from the party. Trzaskowski says he would not pardon a politician convicted of a crime.
UKRAINE
While Nawrocki supports providing military aid to Ukraine to repel a Russian invasion, he opposes Kiev joining Western alliances such as NATO.
Nawrocki rejects claims that his position is pro-Russian and says Poland has the right to raise sensitive issues with Kiev, such as the exhumation of the remains of Polish victims killed by Ukrainian nationalists in World War II.
Trzaskowski says it is in Poland's interest for Ukraine to become a member of NATO.
EUROPEAN UNION
Nawrocki vows to oppose Tusk and Trzaskowski, who he says want to create a European superstate, to back down Polish national prerogatives to Brussels and harm security relations with the United States.
Tsaskowski says his strong pro-European stance will strengthen Poland's influence in Brussels and that this will lead to benefits, including more funds for Polish security.
Both candidates support the Trump administration's demands that Europeans spend much more on defense - Poland spends almost 5% of its GDP on defense, the highest level in NATO. But Nawrocki prioritizes closer security ties with the United States, while Trzaskowski supports a stronger European focus.
AFTER THE ELECTION
A victory for Nawrocki on Sunday would undermine Tusk's political project and could be a prelude to a PiS return to power in 2027. or even sooner if the ruling centrist coalition falls apart and early elections are called.
Conversely, a Trzaskowski victory would mean that Tusk's coalition would have a key ally in the presidential palace, allowing it to push through key legislative initiatives more quickly and make progress on some foreign policy issues, including the nomination of new ambassadors.
Regardless of the outcome of the race, Tusk says he wants to renegotiate the coalition agreement and make changes to his team after the presidential election to make it smaller and more effective.