The ideas of Karol Nawrocki, Poland's new president, beyond the media adjectives

The second round of the presidential elections in the Republic of Poland was held yesterday, a highly contested process.

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The reality of both candidates versus media adjectives

According to data published by the National Electoral Office of Poland with 100% of the votes already counted, Karol Nawrocki was the winner with 50.89% and 10,606,877 votes. The other candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, obtained 49.11% and 10,237,286 votes. It has been one of the most closely contested presidential elections held in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989. Regarding Nawrocki (pronounced "Nabroski" in English), some media outlets have already begun to describe him as a "populist", "ultra-conservative" and "far-right", while defining his rival as "liberal" and "pro-European".

In reality, neither of the two candidates was liberal, anti-European, or Eurosceptic, as some media outlets tend to describe certain right-wing parties and politicians. As I said two weeks ago, Trzaskowski is a textbook progressive and belongs to a center-left party, Tak! Dla Polski. In the electoral debate held on May 23 between the two candidates, Trzaskowski cited Pedro Sánchez as the first of those he considers "key politicians" in Europe (see video, point 29:18), disparaging the conservatives close to Nawrocki (such as the Italian Giorgia Meloni and the Czech Petr Fiala). Curiously, Trzaskowski had the support of the Citizens' Platform (PO), the Polish partner of the European People's Party, which in Poland openly defends left-wing positions, such as support for abortion.

Nawrocki, a pro-life candidate supported by a conservative party

It should be noted that Nawrocki ran as an independent candidate with the support of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which also includes the parties of the aforementioned Giorgia Meloni and Petr Fiala.

Nawrocki is not a member of any party, although he holds conservative positions very similar to those of PiS. In terms of defending life and the family, Naworcki is a staunch pro-lifer: "I would not sign a law that would reinstate the agreement on abortion. As a future president, I cannot allow the abortion of children with Down syndrome", he said about the abolition of eugenic abortion in Poland. It also rejects the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Catholic and admirer of Saint John Paul II

The new Polish president is Catholic (let's keep in mind that Poland is one of the countries with the largest number of Catholics in Europe). He is also a fervent admirer of the Polish Pope Karol Wojtyła: "We will not let ourselves be convinced that attachment to our symbols and heroes is a bad thing. We have the right to be Polish, and John Paul II has given us this pride over the years," he said in April.

He defines himself as a patriot and is a staunch anti-communist

Ideologically, in November 2024 Nawrocki defined himself as "a representative of the patriotic camp in the broad sense". As president of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, a position he has held since July 2021, he has defended staunchly anti-communist positions, devoting much of his activity there to denouncing the crimes perpetrated by communism in Poland.

Openly advocates for nuclear energy

In economic matters, Nawrocki is not a liberal but advocates tax cuts (for example, the elimination of taxes on workers' overtime work), and openly advocates nuclear energy, which he has described as "the safest and most stable". Many of his economic recipes are rather protectionist.

Rejects "climate madness" and the European Green Deal

In the environmental field, Nawrocki has rejected what he calls "climate madness", stating: "Ecology, yes, climate madness at the expense of Polish households, entrepreneurs and workers, no." The new Polish president openly rejects the European Green Deal, in line with its ECR partners.

A staunch supporter of NATO

In international politics, Nawrocki is a staunch supporter of NATO: "We must firmly oppose ideas of marginalizing the North Atlantic Alliance. There is no NATO without Poland and there is no safe Poland without NATO!" he said on Twitter on the 26th anniversary of his country's accession to the Alliance on March 12, 2025. A few days later, he stated: "We need a strong NATO, strong and sovereign national armies, the support of the United States' allied military on the Old Continent and a good strategy to stop Putin."

It is hostile to Russia but does not have a good relationship with Ukraine

Nawrocki's relationship with Russia is terrible. The new Polish president, like his predecessor, Andrzej Duda (a member of the PiS party), is very hostile to Vladimir Putin's dictatorship, which blacklisted him in 2024 for Nawrocki's support for the demolition of monuments glorifying the Red Army in Poland. Since then, the Kremlin has considered Naworcki a wanted criminal, without specifying which article of the Russian criminal code he has violated.

Despite his hostility toward Russia, Nawrocki's relationship with Ukraine is not very good. Recently, in an effort to win the support of the Konfederacja (an alliance of right-wing parties with openly anti-Ukrainian rhetoric), Nawrocki signed a pledge to reject Ukraine's membership in NATO and the European Union, angering the Ukrainian government . Nawrocki's poor relationship with Ukraine is largely due to the Volhynia massacre of 1943 and the process of exhuming its victims.

Rejects Europe becoming a “centralized state”

In conclusion, Nawrocki is not anti-European. What he rejects is the federalization and centralist process of the European Union: "Poland does not need the leadership of a centralized state inhabited by EU citizens of Polish origin," he stated. Let us remember that rejecting a centralized European mega-state with its capital in Brussels is not being "anti-European," but rather defending a different model of the European Union, a difference that some do not seem to understand.

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Photo: Karol Nawrocki.