Trzaskowski will face Nawrocki in a runoff on June 1, after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's vote, according to official results released by the National Electoral Commission.
The Warsaw mayor, a leading figure in the ruling Civic Coalition (KO), won 31.36 percent of the vote. Nawrocki, backed by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, finished close behind with 29.54 percent.
In an article headlined "The liberal favourite stumbles in Poland’s presidential election," The Economist said it was not surprising that Trzaskowski topped the first round, but the narrow margin between him and Nawrocki was unexpected.
Pre-election polls had put Trzaskowski much farther ahead, The Economist noted.
For Tusk’s centrist, pro-European government, which is counting on Trzaskowski’s victory to push through its stalled agenda, the result is troubling, the magazine said.
The outcome of the runoff is uncertain, its analysis showed, especially as far-right candidate Sławomir Mentzen finished third with 14.81 percent, and another far-right figure, Grzegorz Braun, came in fourth with 6.34 percent.
The winner of the June 1 runoff will serve a five-year term as head of state, overseeing foreign and defence policy and holding veto power over legislation.
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Source: PAP, economist.com