Poland votes in tight election as Europe watches
The Hindu
Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski leads in polls for Poland's presidential election, crucial for EU government and social rights.
Poland voted on Sunday (May 18, 2025) in a tight presidential election that will be decisive for the future of the country's pro-EU government as well as for abortion and LGBTQ rights.
Centrist Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski is expected to win 30% of the vote, according to opinion polls, ahead of nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki on 25%.
That would put both through to a run-off on June 1 at a fraught moment for Europe. Russia's invasion of Ukraine drags on, far-right populists continue to make electoral gains and ties with Washington are under strain.
Voting ends at 9:00 p.m. (1900 GMT), when exit polls are expected. The final official results of the contest, in which 13 candidates are running, are expected on Monday (May 19, 2025).
"These are very important elections," voter Marcin Woloszynski, a 42-year-old economist, told AFP.
"They offer two diametrically opposed visions of Poland... a democratic, European, open, confident, honest Poland on one side, and the opposite on the other," he said after casting his ballot in Warsaw, where support for Mr. Trzaskowski is particularly high.
Ever since Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition came to power in 2023, key government initiatives have been blocked by vetoes from nationalist President Andrzej Duda.
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