Centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and conservative historian Karol Nawrocki are both seeking to win over far-right voters who backed Mentzen in the first round.
Nawrocki, the candidate backed by Poland’s right-wing opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), has also signalled he is willing to sign Mentzen’s proposed eight-point declaration outlining policy red lines.
Mentzen, who came third in the first round with nearly 15 percent of the vote, is positioning himself as a potential kingmaker.
On election night, he announced plans to help his supporters decide how to vote in the second round.
On Tuesday, he invited both Nawrocki and Trzaskowski, the frontrunner from the Civic Coalition (KO), to a joint appearance on his popular YouTube platform.
Nawrocki, speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, confirmed his participation.
"This is a serious offer from a serious candidate who wants to talk about Poland’s future,” he said, adding that he would attend even if the format included a joint appearance with Trzaskowski—though he suggested his runoff rival would decline.
"If it’s a three-person debate, Mr. Trzaskowski surely won’t show up, as is his custom," he said.
Mentzen’s proposed declaration includes pledges not to sign any legislation raising taxes or reducing cash transactions, to oppose sending Polish troops to Ukraine or supporting Ukraine’s NATO accession, to reject further EU integration or treaty ratifications that diminish Polish sovereignty, and to defend access to firearms and freedom of expression under the Polish constitution.
Nawrocki said many Mentzen voters are already showing up at his rallies and that he cannot imagine them supporting Trzaskowski.
For both remaining candidates, appealing to Mentzen’s supporters has become a key strategic goal.
Mentzen’s proposed eight-point declaration
Trzaskowski confirmed on Tuesday that he would take part in the online appearance, but stopped short of agreeing to sign Mentzen’s declaration.
Meanwhile, the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown, associated with controversial MP Grzegorz Braun, issued its own set of demands on Tuesday via platform X.
These include rejecting EU climate and migration policies, renouncing vaccine mandates, and investigating government actions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The presidential runoff comes amid increasing political polarisation in Poland, with smaller parties and their electorates playing an outsized role in determining the country’s next head of state.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP