Polish PM calls for confidence vote after nationalist wins presidency

WARSAW – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on June 2 called for a parliamentary confidence vote next week in a bid to demonstrate continued support for his pro-European Union government after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election.

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

Mr Nawrocki won June 1’s run-off in the highly polarised European Union and Nato member state with 51 per cent of the vote to 49 per cent for Mr Tusk’s liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski.

Former EU chief Tusk set the confidence vote for June 11 and vowed to stay on, telling reporters: “Some things can be done better, faster. And this vote of confidence should be a new beginning: offensive, not defensive.”

The announcement came after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of right-wing party Law and Justice (PiS) said Poles had shown the government the “red card”.

Celebrating his victory, Mr Nawrocki said he wanted Poland to be “a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations”.

Mr Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with neighbouring 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” Mr Tusk.

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

Reforms planned by Mr Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with outgoing President Andrzej Duda, who endorsed Mr Nawrocki.

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

Polish presidents hold crucial veto power over legislation.

‘You picked a winner!’

Nationalist leaders rushed to congratulate Mr Nawrocki.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his “fantastic victory”, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen welcomed the “good news”, and Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent “best wishes” to Mr Nawrocki and said their countries “share common values”.

Mr Trump congratulated Poland on electing his ally: “Congratulations Poland, you picked a winner!”

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 Mr Nawrocki to work towards “a strong, independent and competitive Europe that respects the rule of law”.

Russia said on June 3 it did not expect Mr Nawrocki’s victory to lead to better ties with Poland – historically frayed and further strained by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We can’t expect a politician to come to power with a broader political vision that could prompt a reconsideration as to the normalisation of relations with their neighbours, including Russia,” the Kremlin said.

‘Devastating’

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

During the campaign, Mr Nawrocki also tapped into growing resentment against the estimated one million Ukrainian refugees living in Poland. He used his last campaign hours to leave flowers at a monument to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.

Mr 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 he is “in favour of protecting life”.

Activist Tomasz Szypula, 45, 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”.

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

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