Poland Elections 2025: Who Is Karol Nawrocki, Country's President-Elect?

Although Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former head of the European Council elected by parliament, holds most of the day-to-day power in Poland's political system, the president plays a significant role, wielding influence over foreign policy and holding veto power over legislation. With the President and government belonging to different parties, Poland will remain a bitterly divided country operating between two power centres.

Who Is Karol Nawrocki?

Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and politician, has won Poland's presidential election. He was backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party and received support from United States President Donald Trump.

Nawrocki, known for his patriotic and pro-Christian views, will succeed Andrzej Duda as Poland's new President. Nawrocki's supporters describe him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values. Those who oppose secular trends, including LGBTQ+ visibility, have embraced him, viewing him as a reflection of the traditional values they grew up with.

Most recently, Nawrocki headed the Institute of National Memory, which pursues nationalist historical narratives. According to Polish media reports, he had led efforts to topple monuments to the Soviet Red Army in Poland, and Russia put him on a wanted list in response.

New Hurdle For Tusk?

In late 2023, Prime Minister Donald Tusk came to power at the helm of a coalition government that spans a broad ideological divide – so broad that it hasn't been able to fulfil certain electoral promises, such as loosening the restrictive abortion law.

But Poland's current president, Andrzej Duda veto power has blocked Tusk's efforts to make these changes. It has prevented Tusk from fulfilling promises to reverse laws that politicised the court system in a way that the European Union declared to be undemocratic. Now it appears Tusk will have no way to fulfil those promises, which he had made both to voters and to the EU.

The Trump Effect

President Donald Trump made it clear he wanted Nawrocki as Poland's president, according to the reports.

CPAC, the conservative group, held its first meeting in Poland last week to give Nawrocki a boost. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a close ally of Donald Trump, threw her weight behind Karol Nawrocki, strongly endorsing him and encouraging Polish voters to support him.

The U.S. has about 10,000 troops stationed in Poland, and Noem suggested that military ties could deepen with Nawrocki as president.

A common complaint of Nawrocki's supporters is that he will restore "normality", as they believe Trump has done. Nawrocki's rallies often featured American flags, and his supporters believed he offered a better chance for good relations with the Trump administration.

Poland Election Process

Poland's presidential election process uses a two-round system to elect the president for a five-year term. To run for president, a candidate must be a Polish citizen, at least 35 years old, and collect at least 100,000 voters' signatures. All Polish citizens 18 years or older can vote. Voters can also cast their ballots by correspondence if they've notified the electoral commission beforehand. The most recent presidential election, held on May 18, 2025, had 13 candidates, the highest number tied with the 1995 election.

Who All Are The Candidates?

Karol Nawrocki: Conservative candidate backed by Law and Justice, running on a Christian nationalist and culturally conservative platform.

Rafał Trzaskowski: Mayor of Warsaw, supported by the incumbent government and the Civic Coalition. He ran on a platform of economic liberalisation, European integration, and broad legalisation of abortion.

Sławomir Mentzen: Right-wing candidate from the Confederation alliance, campaigning on right-wing social and economic lines.

Grzegorz Braun: Monarchist candidate from the Confederation of the Polish Crown.