“Ipsos poll gives conservative candidate a narrow lead in Polish presidential race – as it happened | Poland”
Dramatic lead change, however race nonetheless too near name – what we all know to this point
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The populist-right opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki has been given a slender lead within the Polish presidential race after an up to date late exit ballot commissioned by the nation’s three main broadcasters unexpectedly put him forward of the pro-European Warsaw mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski.
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The late ballot – making an allowance for some first official outcomes – has Nawrocki forward at 50.7% to Trzaskowski’s 49.3%.
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In an earlier exit ballot, Trzaskowski led by 50.3% to 49.7%.
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The outcomes proceed to be inside the margin of error for the ballot, as the race stays too near name.
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Additional late late ballot numbers are anticipated between midnight and 1am native time (11pm to midnight BST).
Key occasions
Nawrocki forward in presidential run-off – newest story
Jakub Krupa and Shaun Walker in Warsaw
In a single day projections from Poland’s essential presidential run-off confirmed a slender lead for the right-wing candidate Karol Nawrocki, as votes continued to be counted.
A set of preliminary outcomes combining exit polls and counted ballots, revealed at 1am native time on Monday morning (midnight BST), gave Nawrocki a 51-49% lead over liberal contender Rafał Trzaskowski, an ally of the ruling authorities led by Donald Tusk.
Nawrocki’s lead was a dramatic reversal of projections, after an exit ballot, revealed as voting concluded, appeared to indicate Trzaskowski would edge the competition with a 0.6% benefit.
A Nawrocki victory would additionally reinvigorate the Regulation and Justice celebration (PiS) which dominated Poland for eight years between 2015 and 2023 and clashed with Brussels overrule of legislation and different points.
It might additionally considerably complicate the work of Tusk’s authorities. Whereas the presidential position is basically ceremonial, it does have some affect over overseas and defence coverage, in addition to the crucial energy to veto new laws. This may solely be overturned with a 60% majority in parliament, which Tusk’s authorities doesn’t have.
The full outcomes are anticipated to be introduced in the course of the day on Monday, and the figures might change once more as extra votes are counted, though the pollster Ipsos claimed its closing ballot had a margin of error of simply 0.5% for every candidate’s totals.
In accordance with official outcomes in a single day, with ballots counted at almost nine-tenths of polling stations, Nawrocki had 52.1% to Trzaskowski’s 47.9%.
Right here is our report as of two:30am native time in Warsaw.
A possible Nawrocki win can be prone to be welcomed by the US.
A month in the past, he met US president Donald Trump on the White Home, and in the previous few days acquired public backing from Kristi Noem, the US secretary of homeland safety within the Trump administration.
Talking on the Conservative Political Motion Convention in Rzeszów, Poland, Noem mentioned:
I simply had the chance to fulfill with Karol, and pay attention, he must be the following president of Poland. Do you perceive me?
She then added:
Donald Trump is a powerful chief for us, however you have got a chance to have simply as sturdy of a frontrunner in Karol should you make him the chief of this nation. You might be that shining metropolis on a hill that the remainder of Europe and the world will watch and know the way sturdy you’re.
The defeated ultranationalist candidate in Romania’s presidential election rerun George Simion is among the many first European politicians to comment on the anticipated results of the Polish election.
He tweeted:
Poles are very near a historic victory.
Pray for Poland, for freedom, frequent sense and nationwide sovereignty! @NawrockiKn
You keep in mind that rural municipality of Siekierczyn in south-western Poland that I discussed earlier, the place the first round vote two weeks in the past was gained by Trzaskowski by a single vote?
I’ve simply checked their outcomes tonight and it swung for Nawrocki, who gained it by 72 votes.
Karol Nawrocki widens slender lead in early morning ballot – what we all know to this point
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The populist-right opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the Regulation and Justice celebration (PiS), has widened his lead over the pro-European Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski within the late, late exit ballot by Ipsos, commissioned by main broadcasters.
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The newest replace, revealed previous 1am native time, places him 2 proportion factors forward of the pro-European Warsaw mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, backed by the coalition authorities led by Donald Tusk (1:10).
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The determine is the pollster’s closing estimate for the race, as vote counts proceed throughout the nation (1:37).
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If confirmed, a Nawrocki win can be a serious blow for the nation’s pro-EU authorities and extend the present political impasse within the nation (00:07) in addition to complicate the nation’s place in Europe (00:29).
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The outcomes comes after a dramatic turnaround given the primary exit ballot revealed simply because the polls closed had prompt a slender win for Trzaskowski by 0.6pp (21:00), making him declare a victory (21:02).
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Official outcomes will maintain coming all through the night time, with the ultimate declaration anticipated late morning or early afternoon on Monday.
Late late ballot – snap evaluation

Jakub Krupa
Should you’re confused about all these exit and late polls and very complicated methods by which they’re calculated: hey, welcome to Polish politics.
However let me attempt to clarify.
The late late ballot is actually the pollster, Ipsos, going again to the polling stations they carried out the exit ballot in, checking the official outcomes at 90% of them, and adjusting their calculations for what they discover.
Successfully, that’s their finest estimate of what they assume the result’s going to be.
The margin of error right here is supposed to be 0.5% every manner for every candidate, which means that – until the ballot is fully incorrect – the race might be over.
Our consideration will now be shifting in direction of the official outcomes as reported by the Nationwide Electoral Fee, or PKW.
As of 1:30am native time, they’ve obtained reviews from 61.2% of all polling stations, and have Nawrocki manner forward at 54.3% to 45.7% for Trzaskowski.
The end result ought to positively get a lot nearer as giant polling stations in massive cities – pure strongholds for Trzaskowski – report their outcomes later (as a consequence of sheer numbers of votes that have to be counted).
You’ll be able to observe them on PKW web site here, or on a (a lot simpler to make use of) Poland Elects web site here.
It’s very exhausting to see how Trzaskowski might probably shut that hole.
The ultimate outcomes are anticipated by late morning or early afternoon on Monday.
Late late ballot: Nawrocki widens result in 2pp
Pollster Ipsos, working for 3 of Poland’s largest broadcasters, has simply up to date it’s late late ballot at 1am which incorporates some partial official outcomes, and it reveals an excellent larger Nawrocki lead: 51% to 49%.
Signal of rightwing alliance to problem Tusk at 2027 parliamentary election
One factor to notice from each exit polls is that Nawrocki is projected to have gained over virtually 90% (!) of the individuals who voted for the libertarian far-right candidate Sławomir Mentzen of the Confederation celebration (“Konfederacja”), who got here third within the first spherical vote two weeks in the past.
Right here’s extra on his phenomenon, which I studied going to his residence city of Toruń.
Mentzen interviewed each candidates on his YouTube and finally declined to formally endorse both of them, saying he must place himself as a substitute for the duopoly of the primary two events.
But it surely looks as if his citizens has a transparent favorite.
If PiS takes the presidency, because the late ballot suggests, the 2 events might mix once more – formally or not – earlier than the 2027 parliamentary election to type a brand new rightwing coalition to problem Donald Tusk’s politically various and fragile authorities.
One to look at.
Controversies surrounding Nawrocki’s candidacy
If Nawrocki will get confirmed because the president-elect, count on his critics to get again to asking questions on a number of the scandals that affected his marketing campaign in the previous few weeks earlier than the vote.
He confronted questions over the circumstances by which he purchased an condo from an aged man, with ideas that he acted improperly and failed to fulfill his obligations to offer care as a part of the transaction. He denies the allegations.
He was additionally hit by media reports that he was allegedly concerned in procuring intercourse employees whereas working as a scholar safety guard at a resort (a declare he additionally strongly denies).
It was additionally revealed that Nawrocki took half in an organised struggle between 140 soccer hooligans 20 years in the past as a part of a agency linked to Lechia Gdańsk soccer membership.
Responding to criticism, he known as it an act of “noble combat” and referenced his previous as an newbie boxer.
Prof Aleks Szczerbiak from College of Sussex tried to clarify to me earlier this week why none of that modified his rankings amongst his core citizens:
“You get to a tipping level … the place lots of people begin to assume they’re simply arising with stuff to discredit this man …
[Hooliganism] does match along with his picture that ‘this is a tough guy who takes no prisoners, not afraid to go into a fight representing me and my interests’ … It’s really a double-edged sword.”
Overseas coverage state of affairs in case of Nawrocki’s win

Jon Henley
And listed here are the related paragraphs from Jon Henley’s overseas coverage evaluation revealed this weekend:
“A Nawrocki victory would put the stalemate that has existed between government and president since 2023 on a much more permanent footing,” mentioned Nicolai von Ondarza of the German Institute for Worldwide and Safety Affairs (SWP).
“It would change the political calculation within Poland itself – and it would refocus European attention on the unfulfilled promises on rule-of-law that are actually the basis of Poland’s renewed relationship with the EU.”
Whereas EU leaders can be unlikely to show the screw on Tusk (“The last thing they would want to do is weaken him further,” Von Ondarza mentioned), the prime minister’s affect in key choices, such because the bloc’s future price range, would inevitably wane.
Nawrocki would again the PiS authorities’s strategy of “building alternative EU alliances”, for instance with Hungary and Slovakia, “as the most effective way of advancing Poland’s interests”, mentioned Aleks Szczerbiak of the College of Sussex.
Szczerbiak added that Nawrocki will surely additionally prioritise sustaining shut ties with the US, which he has mentioned is Poland’s solely credible safety guarantor, and “oppose the development of a European defence capability outside Nato structures”.
Piotr Buras of the European Council on Overseas Relations thinktank agreed: “Nawrocki has been heavily critical of Tusk’s backing for Europe’s strategic security shift away from reliance on the US. He is a Trumpist; he was invited to the White House. There will be a constant tension there, around security policy.”
Tensions between Tusk and Nawrocki can be exacerbated by splits that exist already inside the prime minister’s disparate coalition of centrists, progressive leftists and conservatives, with coverage over Ukraine already a sufferer of political divisions.
There’s broad consensus in Poland on the necessity to proceed navy help to Ukraine. However Tusk himself has needed to acknowledge public concern across the coalition of the prepared, saying Poland wouldn’t take part, and over Ukraine’s EU membership.
Nawrocki has gone additional, tapping into Polish anti-Ukrainian sentiment over refugees and strongly criticising Kyiv and its EU and Nato accession plans.
The previous Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, of the Regulation and Justice celebration, claimed in an earlier interview with Poland’s public broadcaster TVP that as a lot as “10 to 15 per cent” of exit ballot respondents declined to inform pollsters who they voted for.
If confirmed, this might supply a proof for the huge swing within the late ballot, as that’s when the sooner numbers acquired adjusted after wanting on the precise early outcomes.
I’m positive we’ll hear extra about this tonight (and within the coming days).
Home state of affairs in case of Nawrocki’s win
A fast reminder why does all of it matter, from my curtain raiser earlier than as we speak’s vote:
Whereas the position of the Polish president is largely ceremonial, it carries some affect over overseas and defence coverage and a crucial energy to veto new laws. This may solely be overturned with a 60% majority in parliament, which the present authorities, led by Donald Tusk, doesn’t have.
At stake is whether or not Tusk’s authorities will have the ability to make progress on its electoral guarantees on the rule of legislation and social points, together with abortion and LGBTQ rights, after 18 months of inauspicious cohabitation with the opposition president, Andrzej Duda.
A Nawrocki win would extend the impasse, making it tough if not not possible for the federal government to go any massive reforms earlier than the 2027 parliamentary election.
“Tusk knows the stakes and that if Nawrocki wins, he’s got a lame-duck administration for the next couple of years. And it will be worse than with Duda as Nawrocki will come in fresh, with a new mandate from what effectively turned into a referendum on the government,” Prof Aleks Szczerbiak, who teaches east and central European politics on the College of Sussex, mentioned.
Dramatic lead change, however race nonetheless too near name – what we all know to this point
-
The populist-right opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki has been given a slender lead within the Polish presidential race after an up to date late exit ballot commissioned by the nation’s three main broadcasters unexpectedly put him forward of the pro-European Warsaw mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski.
-
The late ballot – making an allowance for some first official outcomes – has Nawrocki forward at 50.7% to Trzaskowski’s 49.3%.
-
In an earlier exit ballot, Trzaskowski led by 50.3% to 49.7%.
-
The outcomes proceed to be inside the margin of error for the ballot, as the race stays too near name.
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Additional late late ballot numbers are anticipated between midnight and 1am native time (11pm to midnight BST).

Jakub Krupa
I instructed you it was going to be an extended night time.
If late ballot holds, we’ll work to deliver down Tusk’s authorities, senior PiS MP says
Should you’re nonetheless digesting what this might imply for Poland if these late ballot numbers get confirmed, let me enable you.
A senior PiS lawmaker and former schooling minister, Przemysław Czarnek, simply instructed TV Republika:
“If these polls hold and Karol Nawrocki becomes president-elect tomorrow morning … I can reassure you that maybe not starting tomorrow, but from Tuesday, we will begin very energetic work in order to give the Polish people another gift – the end of Tusk’s government.”
He prompt the Regulation and Justice celebration would strategy some authorities MPs to supply them “a longer perspective of serving Poland over the next years” in a hope to get them to defect and type a brand new rightwing coalition within the parliament.
Late ballot plot twist – snap evaluation
This stays nonetheless too near name, however that’s a massive, massive plot twist.
Simply that can assist you perceive what’s occurring: the late ballot is actually the exit ballot, up to date with partial outcomes from 50% of polling stations the place they carried out the ballot.
Some PO lawmakers showing on TV during the last hour or so type of implied that was anticipated as the primary polling stations to report are normally smaller and rural, so naturally PiS-leaning, however it can all change once more when the bigger polling stations report their numbers.
Having mentioned that, that’s a massive swing.
We are going to get one other replace – a brand new late, late ballot – at about 1am, with some outcomes from 90% of the polling stations that they ran the exit ballot at.
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