"Over 20 million citizens showed their commitment to democracy," Tusk said in a televised address to the nation, thanking voters after Sunday’s runoff, in which Nawrocki narrowly defeated liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
Nawrocki, backed by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, won 50.89 percent of the vote, while Trzaskowski garnered 49.11 percent. Turnout was 71.63 percent.
“Whatever we think of the winning candidate, his victory must be recognized and his voters congratulated," Tusk said on Monday night.
"I also thank the runner-up for fighting to the last vote," he added.
'We are prepared for this situation'
Tusk said he would "cooperate where necessary and possible" with Nawrocki, who is due to be sworn in as Poland's new president on August 6, but added that his Cabinet had an “emergency plan” for what could be an uneasy cohabitation.
“If the new president shows a willingness to work together, we will respond openly," Tusk said. "If not, we will get on with the job anyway … even with a president trying to block positive changes. We have done it before," he said, referring to outgoing PiS-aligned President Andrzej Duda’s frequent vetoes.
Tusk pledged to submit new proposals on defense spending, industrial “re-Polonization,” social security and corruption probes.
He also announced a plan to seek a parliamentary vote of confidence to prove his coalition’s unity.
"I want everyone to see—including our opponents, both at home and abroad—that we are prepared for this situation," he declared.
'We keep going'
Addressing Trzaskowski voters, Tusk said: “We keep going. In democracy, the struggle never ends. I believe in you; I believe in Poland.”
Nawrocki’s win secures the presidency for the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) camp until at least 2030 and is expected to complicate Tusk’s efforts to reverse PiS-era judicial changes and deepen EU integration.
In Poland, the president can veto laws; overriding him requires a three-fifths majority that Tusk’s alliance lacks.
(jh/gs)
Source: Wirtualna Polska, PAP, gov.pl