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Polish top court begins reviewing claims of irregularities in presidential vote

10.06.2025 16:50
Poland’s Supreme Court on Tuesday began reviewing electoral appeals amid reports of ballot irregularities in some voting districts during the country’s recent presidential election.
More than 280,000 Poles have signed a petition calling for a full recount of votes in the countrys June 1 presidential runoff election.
More than 280,000 Poles have signed a petition calling for a full recount of votes in the country's June 1 presidential runoff election.Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

The court's Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs Chamber considered the first six of 61 appeals filed so far, court spokeswoman Monika Drwal said, adding that all six were dismissed without further proceedings.

The complaints concern alleged irregularities in the organization and conduct of the second round of voting, state news agency PAP reported.

The Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs Chamber—whose legitimacy is contested by the ruling Civic Coalition—is tasked with examining the appeals.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has previously ruled that this chamber "does not have the status of an independent and impartial tribunal."

In their appeals, voters cited a range of alleged procedural errors and irregularities in election protocols that they believe may have influenced the final outcome.

Meanwhile, more than 283,000 people have signed a petition calling for a recount of the votes.

Appeals may be submitted until June 16.

Voters urged to report any irregularities

On Monday, the National Electoral Commission (PKW) said it was preparing a report based on information received from district electoral commissions.

PKW Chairman Sylwester Marciniak encouraged the public to report any irregularities.

“Within 14 days of the public announcement of the election results, the National Electoral Commission submits a report on the elections to the Speaker of the Sejm and the Supreme Court," the electoral authority said in a statement.

“The National Electoral Commission emphasizes that anyone who has knowledge of an election-related crime should notify the prosecutor or the police,” it added.

Reports of vote count errors

For several days, media outlets have reported controversies surrounding the vote count at several polling stations during the second round of voting.

At a polling station in the southern city of Kraków, officials mistakenly reversed the vote counts when reporting the results.

Votes cast for centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the ruling, pro-European Civic Coalition (KO) were incorrectly assigned to conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Obwodowa komisja wyborcza numer 95 przy ul. Stawowej w Krakowie odwrotnie przypisała głosy oddane w drugiej turze...

Opublikowany przez Kronika Czwartek, 5 czerwca 2025

A similar error occurred in the east-central town of Mińsk Mazowiecki, where officials reported swapped vote counts between the two candidates.

Szanowni Mieszkańcy, podczas ustalania wyników głosowania w obwodowej komisji wyborczej nr 13 w Mińsku Mazowieckim...

Opublikowany przez Miasto Mińsk Mazowiecki Piątek, 6 czerwca 2025

According to local authorities, "the actual vote count shows Rafał Trzaskowski received 611 votes (62.73%), while Karol Nawrocki received 363 votes (37.27%)."

They said in a statement that "the matter may be referred to the prosecutor’s office."


Legal challenges unlikely to affect final result

While irregularities may have occurred in about a dozen polling stations, according to media reports, the margin between the two candidates—over 369,000 votes—makes it unlikely that legal challenges will alter the election outcome.

Final figures from the National Electoral Commission show Nawrocki received 10,606,877 votes, while Trzaskowski garnered 10,237,286.

(mp/gs)

Source: PKW/PAP/IAR/facebook.com/MiastoMinskMazowiecki/news.krk

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