According to the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, individuals linked to Karol Nawrocki - the Law and Justice (PiS) party’s candidate - sought a laboratory to analyze a piece of paper for traces of narcotics.
The note had been handed to Nawrocki by Rafał Trzaskowski, the candidate for the Civic Coalition (KO), during a televised debate ahead of the first round of the presidential election.
The paper, passed to Nawrocki at the close of the 12 May debate, reportedly contained the bank account details of a care home where an elderly man, Jerzy Z., resides.
Nawrocki has faced public scrutiny after taking over Z.'s apartment in Gdańsk in exchange for a promise of care - a matter Trzaskowski used to challenge him during the debate.
Concerns over political manipulation
Gazeta Wyborcza, citing multiple sources, suggests that the aim of the drug test would have been to create a scandal around Trzaskowski.
“We don’t know whether Karol Nawrocki’s campaign was directly involved in the provocation,” the paper notes, “but if the original note intended for testing was handed over, it must have come either from the candidate himself or from someone in his immediate circle.”
The newspaper also points out that similar drug-related insinuations about Trzaskowski have repeatedly appeared in PiS-aligned media during the campaign.
The revelations have further heightened tensions in a bitterly contested election, raising concerns about the use of personal attacks and covert tactics to influence voters.
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Source: IAR/Gazeta Wyborcza/X/@Bart_Wielinski/@czuchnowskiw