Karol Nawrocki secures victory in Poland’s presidential race

These figures from the National Electoral Commission were published by Onet.pl, which is tracking the vote count in real time.

According to the National Electoral Commission, after counting 100% of the votes, Karol Nawrocki received 50.89%, while Rafał Trzaskowski got 49.11%.

According to preliminary results, after counting 99.3% of the votes, Karol Nawrocki (Law and Justice) had 50.9% support, while Rafał Trzaskowski (Civic Coalition) had 49.1%. The numbers clearly showed Nawrocki’s lead for several hours.

Exit polls: Nawrocki overtakes Trzaskowski after early lead

According to the first exit poll, IPSOS publishes the results of its survey at the exit from polling stations: Rafal Trzaskowski - 50.3%, Karol Nawrocki - 49.7%. The corresponding news appeared on the Gazeta Wyborcza website.

The IPSOS exit poll was conducted for Poland’s three largest TV channels – TVN24, Polsat News, and TVP.

However, the results of a later exit poll were different. According to the poll, which has a margin of error of only 0.5%, Nawrocki received 51% support, while Trzaskowski had 49%.

Trzaskowski after the first exit polls: We won

After the first exit poll results were announced, Rafał Trzaskowski’s team began celebrating victory. The politician declared himself the winner of the election.

“We won, although I think this phrase will forever enter the Polish language, the language of Polish politics — ‘on the razor’s edge,’” the government-backed Civic Coalition candidate said, according to TVN24.

“I said it would be very close, that every vote would count,” he added.

At the same time, Trzaskowski thanked the Polish women and men who voted for him.

Nawrocki statement

Karol Nawrocki interpreted the small gap between the candidates recorded in the first IPSOS exit poll in his favor. According to him, he can still defeat his political opponent.

“We will win and save Poland. We will not allow Donald Tusk’s rule to continue,” Nawrocki said, as quoted by Gazeta.pl after the announcement of the second-round presidential exit poll results.

“These are unique elections, the only ones like this since 1989, so I want to thank you all,” Nawrocki said, addressing his supporters.

Incumbent Prime Minister Tusk supported his party colleague Trzaskowski in the elections. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda belongs to the same party as Nawrocki, the current opposition Law and Justice party.

Record high voter turnout in Poland’s presidential runoff

On Sunday, June 1, 2025, the second round of the presidential election is taking place in Poland with an unprecedentedly high voter turnout.

The turnout figures were published on the website of the Polish National Electoral Commission:

12:00 p.m. – 24.83%,

5:00 p.m. – 54.91%,

9:00 p.m. – 72.8%.

Unprecedented turnout of Polish voters abroad

Polish citizens living abroad who had not formally lost their voting rights were required to register in advance at polling stations set up in their current countries of residence, and here, too, a record was set.

“Over 695,000 Polish citizens registered abroad for the presidential election,” said Justyna Chrzanowska, the Foreign Ministry’s representative for organizing overseas voting, as quoted by Bankier.pl. This is the highest number since Poland began holding free elections following the fall of the communist regime.

It’s worth noting that since the first round of voting ended with a razor-thin margin between the two candidates, both campaigns worked intensively to mobilize Poles to vote in the runoff.

Final vote between two main contenders

Poles voted between Rafał Trzaskowski of the Civic Platform and Karol Nawrocki of Law and Justice, the two front-runners from the first round, Reuters and Onet report.

Voting began at 7:00 a.m. local time and lasted until 9:00 p.m. in Warsaw. Exit poll results were expected right after polls closed, while official results are due Monday.

Nearly 29 million Polish citizens were eligible to vote in the second round, including over half a million abroad. As of 6:00 a.m. local time, voting had concluded in the U.S., including New York, where ballots were already counted, but results remain confidential until voting ends in Poland.

According to Onet's polling, turnout was projected at a record-breaking 76.5%, potentially the highest since Poland’s transition to democracy in 1989.

The candidates: Nawrocki vs Trzaskowski

According to Reuters, both finalists in the race support strengthening Poland’s defense capabilities and continuing aid to Ukraine. However, their positions differ on key foreign policy and social issues.

Warsaw’s mayor, centrist and national liberal Rafał Trzaskowski, calls Ukraine’s NATO membership vital for Poland’s security and supports close cooperation with both the EU and the U.S. His opponent, Karol Nawrocki, director of the Institute of National Remembrance and a right-wing conservative historian, takes a more cautious stance — he stated that if elected, he would not ratify Ukraine’s NATO membership to avoid “dragging NATO into a direct conflict with Russia.”

Trzaskowski is popular in cities, while Nawrocki has stronger support in rural areas.

In foreign policy, Trzaskowski promises closer cooperation with the European Union leadership, while Nawrocki focuses mainly on partnership with Washington.

On social issues, there is a clear divide between the candidates. Trzaskowski supports expanding LGBT rights and access to abortion, whereas Nawrocki is firmly opposed, citing the need to uphold Catholic values.

Nawrocki received public endorsements from Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

• On May 18, 2025, Poland held the first round of its presidential election. According to data from most polling stations, the two leading candidates heading to the runoff are separated by less than 2%.