According to official results from the National Electoral Commission (PKW), Nawrocki secured 50.89 percent of the vote, compared to Trzaskowski’s 49.11 percent, with turnout reaching 71.63 percent.
The result marked a dramatic reversal from Sunday night’s exit poll, which briefly gave Trzaskowski, the candidate of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), a slight lead.
In a defiant victory speech quoting scripture, Nawrocki declared on election night: “Yes, we will win. Tonight, we will win. We will win and save Poland."
'Poland First'
Nawrocki’s candidacy was announced in late 2024 by a civic committee affiliated with PiS and endorsed by party leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
His campaign, run under the slogan "Poland First, Poles First," focused on national security, economic relief and conservative social values.
He pledged, among other things, to cut value-added tax (VAT) from 23 to 22 percent, introduce zero personal income tax for families with at least two children, raise military spending to 5 percent of GDP, and seek constitutional referendums on key issues such as judicial reform and the European Green Deal.
His campaign also embraced a hardline stance on migration, pledging to block implementation of the EU's migration pact and limit foreign influence.
Nawrocki insisted on building strong ties with the United States and a more assertive Polish voice within the European Union.
"We want to be in the EU, but we also want to say: this is Poland," he told supporters during one rally.
String of setbacks
Throughout the campaign, Nawrocki faced a string of damaging allegations.
A report by the Onet news outlet linked him to alleged arrangements involving sex workers during his time working as a hotel security guard in Sopot on the Baltic coast.
Nawrocki denied the claims and vowed to file defamation suits.
He was also accused of failing to disclose ownership of a second apartment acquired through a controversial deal with an elderly man.
Media attention on the "studio flat affair" dominated much of the campaign, though Nawrocki later announced he had donated the property to charity.
Another incident that drew public scrutiny was his use of a nicotine pouch during a televised debate with Trzaskowski, prompting accusations of drug use.
Nawrocki passed a drug test and challenged his opponent to do the same.
Earlier revelations about his past participation in football hooligan brawls, so-called ustawki, and his rent-free use of a luxury museum apartment during his time as director of the Museum of the Second World War in the northern city of Gdańsk, further fueled controversy.
He was also criticized for publishing a book on a mafia figure under the pseudonym “Tadeusz Batyr” and giving media interviews in disguise to promote it.
Nawrocki defended the practice as a legitimate scholarly device and emphasized his pioneering work on organized crime in communist-era Poland.
Far-right endorsement
Despite these setbacks, Nawrocki successfully consolidated support from Poland's far-right electorate.
Ahead of the runoff vote, he signed an eight-point declaration that aligned with the positions of Sławomir Mentzen, the libertarian candidate of the far-right Confederation party.
While Mentzen initially stopped short of endorsing Nawrocki, he made clear he would not support Trzaskowski.
Nawrocki also received endorsements from hardline nationalist MEP Grzegorz Braun and two other first-round candidates, Marek Woch and Marek Jakubiak.
Amateur boxer wanted in Russia
Born in Gdańsk in 1983, Nawrocki earned a PhD in humanities from the University of Gdańsk and rose through the ranks of PiS-aligned historical institutions.
From 2017 to 2021, he headed the Museum of the Second World War, where he initiated controversial changes to the permanent exhibition.
In 2021, he was appointed head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), a powerful body responsible for shaping historical policy.
Russian authorities placed him on a wanted list in 2024 in connection with the removal of Soviet-era monuments in Poland.
Nawrocki is also a former amateur boxer and has remained publicly engaged with the boxing world, most recently drawing criticism over a photo with a figure linked to criminal circles.
He is married to Marta Nawrocka, a tax official. They have two children, and Nawrocki also helped raise his wife’s son from a previous relationship.
Karol Nawrocki votes at a polling station in Warsaw on Sunday, accompanied by his family. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
As president-elect, Nawrocki inherits a politically divided nation and a difficult relationship with the centrist government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
His administration is expected to test Poland’s institutional balance between the presidency and parliament, and its direction within the European Union.
Nawrocki will be sworn in on August 6 for a five-year term, succeeding conservative Andrzej Duda.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP