Presidential election in Poland: “To the front or back?”

Head of state

Presidential election in Poland: “To the front or back?”

The Poles choose a successor for Andrzej Duda. The race between the liberal Trzaskowski and the right -wing conservative Nawrocki is scarce. The election outcome is important for all of Europe.

A high turnout is emerging in the runoff election around the presidential office in Poland. By the late afternoon, more than half of the eligible voters (54.91 percent) have made their vote, the election commission announced. The last surveys before the vote make a electoral thriller expect. The liberal Rafal Trzaskowski and the right -wing conservative Karol Nawrocki are on par.

The visions that both have for their country are diametrically opposed. The deeply split Poland faces a choice of direction. It will significantly determine the course of the EU and NATO member- with effects for Germany and Europe.

“To the front or back?”, The Magazin Polityka is in its latest edition – and in this the dilemma of Germany’s eastern neighbor is shown. If the Warsaw Mayor Trzaskowski wins the race, the pro -European head of government Donald Tusk has a party friend and strong allies in the presidential palace, who will support him in his reform course.

If the non -party historian Nawrocki prevails, Tusk has bad cards. Because Nawrocki is supported by the right -wing conservative PIS, Poland’s largest opposition party. Nawrocki could block draft laws with his veto law and make Tusk practically impossible. An unstable Poland and early new elections could result – and the possible return of the PIs to power.

Poland has been a member of the EU since 2004. In the past two decades, the country, with its 37.5 million inhabitants, has stood steadily economic growth – with the exception of a small dent as a result of Corona pandemic. The average income has more than doubled since 2015, currently the equivalent of 2113 euros.

A network of highways, also subsidized with EU funds, runs through the country. You won’t find any sparkling holes, the trains of the Polish railway usually drive on time. Newing homes with a double garage and solar system testify in many places that prosperity has also arrived in the country. And everywhere people pay cashlessly with Blik, a state -owned mobile payment system.

Russia’s war of attack against neighboring Ukraine has upgraded Poland’s role as a NATO partner. The country is an important logistical hub for the military aid of the West for Kiev.

Poland also feels threatened and upgraded by Russia. This year it wants to spend 4.7 percent from its gross domestic product for defense. His armed forces count 206,000 soldiers – significantly more than the Bundeswehr.

The ideas about how Poland is supposed to position itself with its growing meaning differ greatly within the population. The first round of the election showed: The liberal pro -European Trzaskowski has its voters mainly in the cities. The 53-year-old Warsaw Colonel is committed to the rights of the LGBT community, speaks five foreign languages ​​and is well connected internationally from his time as deputy foreign minister.

But in the country the number of those who have the feeling that their interests are falling by the wayside in the rapid change of society. Many followers of Karol Nawrocki say that they wanted “normality”. You mean the return to a traditional, Catholic family picture. And they want less Europe, less migration and more nation.