Poland votes in tight presidential election

WARSAW • Poles began voting yesterday in a knife-edge presidential election between a populist incumbent closely allied with United States President Donald Trump and a Europhile liberal who wants to restore ties with Brussels.

The result will be decisive for the future of Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party government, which critics accuse of rolling back hard-won democratic freedoms after the fall of communism.

President Andrzej Duda, backed by PiS, is facing a challenge from Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski from the opposition Civic Platform party, and latest polls show an almost even split between the two.

"The Battle for Poland", read a front-page headline in the tabloid Super Express.

The liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza paper said the choice between "hope and disaster" would resonate for generations.

The first official results of the polls are expected this morning.

Experts warn that the results could be so close that legal challenges and protests will ensue.

Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said Mr Trzaskowski has had to mobilise disparate parts of the electorate against Mr Duda and the incumbent would therefore likely win, though by a narrow margin.

"Trzaskowski proved an able and eloquent campaigner, but two weeks is a short time to bridge Duda's lead," the group said.

Mr Duda has promised to defend social welfare payments and has campaigned on divisive issues, criticising LGBT rights and Jewish wartime compensation claims.

Mr Trzaskowski has said he will roll back controversial reforms of the judiciary that have put the country on a collision course with the rest of the European Union, and has also expressed support for allowing same-sex civil partnerships.

A Trzaskowski victory could begin to unravel the influence of PiS in Polish politics, while a Duda win would cement the party's power.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 13, 2020, with the headline Poland votes in tight presidential election. Subscribe