Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and historian-turned-politician Karol Nawrocki began courting supporters of their eliminated rivals after taking the top two spots in Poland’s first-round presidential vote.
Both candidates were already out campaigning early on Monday, with Trzaskowski handing out pastries in Kielce and Nawrocki doing the same in Gdansk.
The pair will go head to head on June 1 in a runoff, after the first round of voting saw 11 other hopefuls knocked out of the race on Sunday.
Trzaskowski, from the ruling Civic Coalition (KO), received 31.36 percent of the vote, while Nawrocki, backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, received 29.54 percent.
The runoff will determine whether Poland’s next head of state is aligned with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU agenda or will shift to a more nationalist stance.
“We need to talk to everyone, arguments are the most important. I am glad that many young people went to vote, but the big challenge is to convince them to vote for me,” Trzaskowski said.
Nawrocki told Poles he will fight for votes on both sides of the political divide.
“My social agenda and the fact that I will be the guardian of the social achievements of the Law and Justice government and the Solidarity [trade union] make it an offer also for left-wing, socially sensitive circles,” he said.
Trzaskowski, who ran a close second to current President Andrzej Duda in 2020, had been tipped as the favorite in this year’s contest, but the runoff remains close as voters who plumped for other candidates will redistribute their votes next month.
His rival Nawrocki said he was “full of energy and enthusiasm on the way to victory” in a statement after the vote, adding that “probably all of Poland saw that Rafał Trzaskowski is a candidate who can’t cope.”
Trzaskowski vowed to fight until the end.
“I will try to convince young people and all those who voted differently that it is worth voting for a normal Poland, not a radical Poland,” Trzaskowski said in a press briefing.
One in five voters opted for candidates on the right, who are likely to throw their support behind Nawrocki in the run-off. Sławomir Mentzen of the Confederation party won 14.81 percent, while Grzegorz Braun won 6.4 percent.
Candidates from parties in Tusk’s coalition government—which includes left-wing, centrist, and center-right parties—together won about 40 percent of votes.
Poland’s presidency is limited in scope compared to the equivalent post in Paris or Washington, with the holder being the head of state and commander in chief but holding only limited executive powers, beyond the ability to veto legislation.
Incumbent Duda has used his veto power to block Tusk’s efforts to reverse judicial changes made by the previous administration. The reforms have been criticized by Brussels.
The president must renounce any party allegiance upon taking the post and is allowed to hold the position for a maximum of two five-year terms.
