Karol Navrotsky’s victory in the presidential election may be tarnished. Fraud in the counting of votes is being investigated.

As you know, in the second round Karol Navrotsky from Law and Justice received 50.89%, and his rival from Civic Platform Rafal Tshaskovsky — 49.11%. The difference is minimal, and a week later, reports of violations in the work of some election commissions began to appear on Polish social networks. It turned out that this is not just Internet speculation.

On the eve of the district election commission in Krakow reported errors to the Commission No. 95 on the street. Stavova in the capital of Malopolska. The Commission has already redistributed the votes cast in the second round of the presidential election between Navrotsky and Tshaskovsky in favor of the latter.

Former Polish President Lech Walesa, who opposes Navrotsky, reacted emotionally:

“I don’t have any doubts! The results of the second round of elections should be recalculated carefully, paying attention to suspicious results, or hold the second round again — with better monitoring. PiS has Tsentskevich, an exceptionally talented impostor who could carry out an incredible electoral manipulation.”

As a result, today, on June 6, the press secretary of the Civic Platform, Dorota Loboda, was asked if the party would demand a recount of votes.

“Let’s see what the scale will be. Indeed, now there are several commissions in which the votes were distributed incorrectly — on the contrary. It’s very strange. The head of the National Electoral Commission says that such things should not happen, and we should actually deal with it. This is a challenge for those who will do it,” Loboda said.

At the same time, Russian officials were not embarrassed that Musk, despite all his ambiguity, provided Ukraine with critically important military assistance.

Mask invited to Russia: what is known

Russia may grant political asylum to American billionaire Elon Musk after his public spat with US President Donald Trump, Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said in a comment to TASS.

I think Musk has a completely different game, that he won’t need any political asylum. Although if he did, Russia could certainly provide it.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who today holds the bogus position of Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, for his part, offered to help resolve the conflict between Trump and Musk for a “reasonable fee.”

According to TASS, Medvedev is ready to receive shares in the Starlink company, which provides military communications for Ukraine, as payment. Share

The former head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, who today serves as a “senator” in the upper house of the Russian parliament from the occupied regions of the Zaporizhzhia region, also reacted to Musk’s quarrel with Trump.

The guy got into a difficult situation. He had a fight with his superiors. They are threatening him with deportation and persecution of his business. It’s all ugly. I wrote to him through his X (former Twitter). This is not a joke. Well, why not? To some, the idea of giving refuge in Russia to talented people may seem exotic, but I believe that this is our principled position and an urgent need.

In particular, he expressed hope that Musk would help Russia “achieve victory over the warmongers” and begin settling life on other planets.

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On Monday at 17:00, the National Electoral Commission (PKW) will consider erroneously completed protocols in some constituencies at a meeting, PKW member Ryszard Kalisz announced in a post on X. He was referring to the second round of the presidential election.

According to the official results of the PKW, the election was won by Karol Nawrocki. The candidate supported by Law and Justice (PiS) won 10,606,877 votes, or 50.89%. He defeated Civic Coalition (KO) candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, who got the vote from 10,237,286 people in the second round, or 49.11%.

The National Electoral Commission will meet regarding the entries of incorrect vote counts in the minutes of some OKWs will be held on 9 June 2025 at 5:00 p.m. The Supreme Court decides on the validity of the elections for the President of the Republic of Poland….

Ultimately, the validity of the presidential election is decided by the Supreme Court on the basis of the report presented by the PKW and after considering protests.

Certain entities, including voters, can submit written protests until 16 June. The Supreme Court has received 21 election protests, Monika Drwal of the Supreme Court press team reported on Friday.

Petition for a recount

A petition for a recount of the votes is being collected online. To date, the petition has collected more than 160,000 signatures.

“Given the extremely small difference of 369,591 votes between the candidates in the last presidential election, the very high number of 189,000 invalid votes, as well as the numerous reports of irregularities in the work of the electoral commissions, we feel obliged to call for a recount of all votes cast,” wrote the authors of the petition. – wrote the authors of the petition.

Signals of irregularities appeared, among others, in Minsk Mazowiecki. The authorities there reported that the results of two candidates had been swapped in one of the commissions. The chairman of the commission admitted that he had made a mistake in the minutes.

A similar incident occurred in Krakow, specifically at PEC number 95 on Stawowa Street. The District Election Commission in Krakow is investigating the matter.

Prime Minister and President’s Chancellery react

The case has been addressed by the Polish authorities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk tried to tone down the mood of some internet users who suggested that the elections had been rigged.

“Every reported case of irregularities in vote counting is checked and analysed. Possible falsifications are being investigated and will be punished. Protests will go to the Supreme Court. I understand emotions, but assuming in advance that the elections have been rigged does not serve the Polish state”. – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote in a post on the X platform.

The head of the office of the incumbent Polish president, Małgorzata Paprocka, commented on the matter on Saturday. Although she admitted that there had been an error in one of the commissions in counting the votes, she added in an interview with Trwam TV that she was concerned about attempts to question the election results.

“The myth of falsifying the election result, undermining the mandate of the president, trying to antagonise the public, trying to introduce such unrest is an absolutely scandalous thing,” – she said during the interview. “Of course such a mistake should not have happened, of course it should be clarified, but it has no bearing,” – Paprocka assessed.

Conservative historian wins Polish presidential vote

6 days ago Share Save Adam Easton Warsaw correspondent Share Save

Reuters Karol Nawrocki is Poland’s next president

With all votes counted, right-wing historian Karol Nawrocki has been elected Poland’s new president, the state electoral commission (PKW) said. PKW said Nawrocki won 50.9% percent of the votes – ahead of Warsaw’s liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski on 49.1% percent. It’s a sensational turnaround from the result of the first exit poll – published immediately after voting ended at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday – that showed Trzaskowski winning on 50.3% to Nawrocki’s 49.7%. Trzaskowski had claimed victory after the first exit poll, while Nawrocki cautioned that the results were too close to call.

“We won, although the phrase ‘razor’s edge’ will forever enter the Polish language and politics,” Trzaskowski told his supporters. His wife, Malgorzata, jokingly told the crowd: “I’m close to having a heart attack.” Nawrocki, 42, had said after the result of the first exit poll: “Let’s not lose hope for this night. We will win during the night, the difference is minimal. I believe that we will wake up tomorrow with President Karol Nawrocki.”

Getty Images Presidential candidate Trzaskowski claimed an early win after the initial exit poll

As Poland’s new president, Nawrocki is likely to continue to use his presidential power of veto to block Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU programme. The result is also likely to re-energise Nawrocki’s supporters, the national conservative Law and Justice (PiS) opposition, which lost power eighteen months ago, giving them renewed belief they will be able to defeat Tusk’s coalition in 2027 parliamentary elections. Tusk said following the result that he understood “the gravity of the moment” and did not intend to “take a step back”. He also announced that he will call a vote of confidence in his government in parliament in the near future. This vote has already been seen by some as a piece of political theatre. Tusk is likely to win as it requires a simple majority – something his ruling party has. Nawrocki supports traditional Catholic and family values, and is a strong supporter of Polish sovereignty within the EU. He backs continued support for Ukraine, but has said he does not want to see the country joining Nato and the EU during Russia’s ongoing aggression. Poland’s president is a largely ceremonial role with limited influence on foreign policy and defence, but the president can veto legislation. Tusk’s pro-EU coalition government lacks a large enough parliamentary majority to overturn it. The current conservative incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, has used his powers to prevent Tusk delivering key campaign promises, including removing political influence from the judiciary and liberalising the country’s strict abortion law. Duda, who could not run for re-election having already served two consecutive terms, congratulated Nawrocki. “It was a difficult, sometimes painful but incredibly courageous fight for Poland, for how the affairs of our homeland are to be conducted. Thank you for this heroic fight until the last minute of the campaign!” Duda said.

Both presidential candidates support continued assistance for neighbouring Ukraine, but they differ over their approach to the EU. Trzaskowski, a former Europe minister, supports Tusk’s vision of a Poland at the heart of the European mainstream, influencing decisions through strong relations with Germany and France. Nawrocki supports a strong sovereign Poland and does not want the country to cede any more powers to Brussels. He opposes the EU’s climate and migration policies.

Getty Images

He was relatively unknown nationally before he was selected by opposition party PiS to be their “unofficial” candidate. A keen amateur boxer and footballer, he often posts images of himself working out. PiS presented him as a strong candidate who would stand up for ordinary Poles and the country’s national interests. A fan of US President Donald Trump, he flew to Washington during the Polish election campaign for an extremely brief meeting – and to get a thumbs-up photo of himself with Trump in the Oval Office. During the campaign, questions were raised over the number of apartments Nawrocki owned after he said in a presidential debate, that he, like most Poles, owned one. However, it later emerged he owned a second apartment which he had acquired from a pensioner at a discount in exchange for promises of care. This led to accusations that he had taken advantage of a vulnerable senior citizen and failed to fulfil his promises. Following the scandal, Nawrocki said he would donate the council flat to charity and he denied he did not provide the care.

Nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland’s presidential election, results showed Monday, delivering a major blow to the centrist government’s efforts to cement Warsaw’s pro-European orientation.

Nawrocki secured 50.89 per cent of the vote, election commission data showed — an outcome that presages more political gridlock as he is likely to use his presidential veto to thwart Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal policy agenda.

Tusk’s government has been seeking to reverse judicial reforms made by the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government, but current President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has blocked its efforts.

The election result could complicate matters for the government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, shown Sunday at a party gathering in Warsaw. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Nawrocki’s rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal Warsaw mayor who was standing for Tusk’s ruling Civic Coalition (KO), got 49.11 per cent, the data showed. Turnout was 71.31 per cent, the electoral commission said, a record for the second round of a presidential election.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t manage to convince the majority of citizens of my vision of Poland,” Trzaskowski said on X. “I congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning the presidential election.”

While Poland’s parliament holds most power, the president can veto legislation and influence foreign policy, and the vote was being watched closely in Ukraine, as well as Russia, the United States and the European Union.

Nawrocki, like his predecessor Duda, is expected to block any attempts by the Tusk government to liberalize abortion or reform the judiciary.

“Everything was on a knife edge,” said 32-year-old IT specialist Patryk Marek. “Feelings are for sure mixed for this moment. But how small this margin was, it tells us how divided we are, almost in half, as voters.”

Rafal Trzaskowski, Civic Coalition (KO) presidential candidate, votes alongside his wife, Malgorzata, in Warsaw on Sunday. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Zelenskyy congratulates winner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the leaders offering their congratulations to Nawrocki on Monday morning, an acknowledgement of Poland’s key role as a neighbour, ally and hub for Western weapons sent to Kyiv in its war against Russia.

“I look forward to continued fruitful co-operation with Poland and with President Nawrocki,” Zelenskyy said.

Nawrocki was backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, with about 10,000 American troops stationed in Poland.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered encouragement for presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki in Rzeszów, Poland, on May 27. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Nawrocki, 42, a newcomer to politics who previously ran a national remembrance institute, has echoed some of Trump’s language on Ukraine. He promises to continue Poland’s support for Ukraine but has been critical of Zelenskyy, accusing him of taking advantage of allies, and he opposes Ukraine membership in Western alliances.

The candidate also has accused Ukrainian refugees of taking advantage of Polish generosity, vowing to prioritize Poles for social services such as health care and schooling.

Nawrocki vowed to protect Poland’s sovereignty and railed against what he said was excessive interference in the country’s affairs from the European Union in Brussels. The EU took the previous PiS government to court over its judicial reforms, saying they undermined the rule of law and democratic standards.

In a meeting with Slawomir Mentzen, the far-right candidate who was in third place in the first round of the election, Nawrocki signed a declaration that he will not agree to any European treaties that would “weaken the position of Poland.”

Nawrocki shakes off allegations

Nawrocki won despite his past dominating the last days of the presidential campaign, including allegations of past connections to criminal figures and his participation in a violent street brawl. He denies the criminal links but was unapologetic about the street fight, saying he had taken part in “noble” fights in his life.

Congratulations poured in from other nationalist and eurosceptic politicians. The defeated hard-right candidate in Romania’s election, George Simion, wrote on X “Poland WON,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed a “fantastic victory.”

A voter is shown at a polling station during the Polish presidential run-off election, which featured a record turnout of more than 71 per cent of eligible voters. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The run-off vote in Poland came just two weeks after Romania’s centrist Bucharest mayor, Nicusor Dan, had dealt a blow to hard-right and nationalist forces in central Europe by winning that country’s presidential contest.

The result could lend momentum to the Czech Republic’s eurosceptic opposition leader and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who leads opinion polls ahead of an October election. Babis offered “warm congratulations” on X.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was convinced the EU could continue its “very good co-operation” with Poland.