Polish PM calls confidence vote after nationalist wins presidency

Polish PM calls confidence vote after nationalist wins presidency

The runoff was a knife-edge race between Karol Nawrocki, left, and Rafal Trzaskowski

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday called for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election.

European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of US President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights.

He won Sunday's runoff in the highly polarised EU and NATO member state with 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski.

In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said he wanted the confidence vote "soon" and vowed to stay on, adding that the election "will not change anything".

His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party said that Poles had shown him the "red card".

Kacynski called for a "technical" government of experts to replace the current one.

Nawrocki said on X that he wanted Poland to be "a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations".

"I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal," he wrote.

Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees.

"Nawrocki's presidency will be a rough ride for the Tusk government," said analyst Piotr Buras, adding that the president-elect "wants to overthrow" Tusk.

He told AFP that the election result could lead to "early parliamentary elections, maybe not this year, but next" year.

Reforms planned by Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with the current president, who endorsed Nawrocki.

There have also been divisions in his governing coalition, which analysts said could be exacerbated by the election result.

Polish presidents hold a crucial veto power over legislation.

- 'Share common values' -

Nationalist leaders rushed to congratulate Nawrocki.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his fellow nationalist's "fantastic victory", writing on X: "We are looking forward to working with you."

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen also welcomed the "good news", while Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered "best wishes" to Nawrocki and said their countries "share common values".

Other EU leaders gave a more measured response.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "confident" that "very good cooperation" would continue with Warsaw.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Nawrocki to work towards "a strong, independent and competitive Europe that respects the rule of law".

- 'They'll block everything' -

Many Nawrocki supporters said they hoped the new president would help curb immigration and advocate for more sovereignty for Poland within the European Union.

During the campaign, he also tapped into growing resentment against the estimated one million Ukrainian refugees living in Poland.

Nawrocki used his last campaign hours to leave flowers at a monument to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.

Trzaskowski voter Zdzislaw Brojek said he expected "chaos" under the new president, who he claimed would do the PiS party's bidding.

"They'll block laws, they'll block everything," the 65-year-old gardener told AFP in Warsaw.

Tomasz Szypula, 45, a campaigner, said the outcome "pushes back the prospect of any positive change for LGBTQ people for another five years" -- the duration of presidential terms in Poland.

He called the realisation "devastating".

Nawrocki opposes same-sex unions and said in April that "the LGBT community cannot count on me to address their issues".

He also opposes any easing of Poland's near-total ban on abortion, declaring that he was "in favour of protecting life".

Nawrocki's campaign was overshadowed at times by controversies over a murky apartment purchase and his football hooligan past.

An amateur boxer, Nawrocki also denied media reports that he had procured sex workers while working as a hotel security guard.

bur-sw/bc

Originally published as Polish PM calls confidence vote after nationalist wins presidency