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WARSAW — There’s nothing like the danger of war from a historic enemy to paper over political divides. That’s what’s happening in Poland, as usually squabbling politicians struck an unusual note of unity and solidarity in response to at least 19 Russian drones breaching Polish airspace early Wednesday. Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk are often at odds, with the right-wing president attempting to undermine the centrist prime minister in a heated political battle that is destabilizing the country’s foreign policy and sounding warning bells about its public finances. But all was harmony and patriotism in Warsaw on Wednesday … at least for the first hours following Polish and Dutch warplanes shooting down several drones. Nawrocki told a morning press conference that he met Tusk at the Polish military’s headquarters, where both were briefed on the incursion. The two leaders also discussed invoking NATO’s Article 4, which calls on alliance members to consult in the event that “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.” (This was ultimately done.) Tusk messaged the parliament in a similar vein a few hours later, saying there was “full cooperation” between the president’s office and his government. “I want to stress as strongly as possible that cooperation between the institutions is exemplary. I am in constant contact, including with the president,” Tusk said. “It’s crucial that in such moments of trial all institutions act as one fist. And I must assure you with full conviction that all of them are passing this test,” the PM added. It was a striking change in tone. Tusk and Nawrocki have locked horns on an almost daily basis since the latter took office in early August. The prime minister has accused the president of scheming to derail the government’s reform agenda to better position his Law and Justice (PiS) party ahead of the next general election in 2027. Nawrocki has vetoed some key pieces of legislation from the Tusk-led ruling coalition. They’ve also been at loggerheads over foreign policy, especially over Nawrocki’s recent visit to the White House to visit his political ally, Donald Trump. But the Polish military firing its first shots in anger at a foreign invader into its territory since 1945 changed the mood music. Trump reportedly planned to speak with Nawrocki later on Wednesday, and posted on social media: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Squabbling politicians struck an unusual note of unity and solidarity in response to at least 19 Russian drones breaching Polish airspace early Wednesday. | Aleksander Kalka/Getty Images Mateusz Morawiecki, a former PiS prime minister and normally a fierce foe of Tusk, posted: “In times like these, loyalty, solidarity, and responsibility are what matter. Together, we can do it. We will defeat the enemy,” he said, underlining that, “There is one enemy and that enemy is external.” Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who usually revels in attacking PiS, posted: “Let’s stay calm, let’s unite.” FRENEMIES But even in the first hours, cracks started to appear in that political unity. Mariusz Błaszczak, a former PiS defense minister, grumbled that Tusk’s defense ministry was cutting back on some of the contracts agreed under the previous PiS government. “Enough talk, we just need to implement the contracts that we prepared when Law and Justice was in power,” he said. PiS Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński underlined the danger of the moment, warning: “We are facing an attack on Poland.” But he skipped Tusk’s address to parliament and lambasted the government for “slowing down” reforms in the army. Other long-held grievances were still there. Kaczyński lashed out at those who oppose his marches on the 10th of every month to commemorate the April 10, 2010 air disaster that killed his twin brother, President Lech Kaczyński — something that his supporters blame with no evidence on Tusk and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “They are even more brazen than usual,” Kaczyński complained. Sławomir Mentzen of the opposition far-right Confederation party, which is the least pro-Ukrainian major grouping in Poland, went further in criticizing both the current Tusk government and past PiS administrations, saying Poland “slept through” the drone revolution on the battlefield that is evident in Ukraine’s war against Russia, a point some military experts in Poland have raised as well. “We are absolutely not ready for this conflict. We have spent tens of billions of dollars for arms that won’t be here only a few years from now and once we have it, what use is it going to be, Mentzen said.

WARSAW — Poland’s stint at the top table of European foreign policy lasted only about a year and half; now it’s being derailed by open political warfare between the country’s president and prime minister. Poland was absent from the White House crisis meeting that saw top European leaders rush to Washington to protect Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Donald Trump. An earlier effort to revive the Weimar Triangle of Poland, Germany and France is fading as Paris and Berlin warm ties on their own, and Poland’s status as one of Kyiv’s most important allies is being undercut by political battles over Ukrainian refugees. Those internal divisions will be on full display on Wednesday, when newly elected right-wing President Karol Nawrocki will be at the White House to visit his political ally Trump, who openly campaigned for him during the Polish presidential election earlier this year. That’s dismaying pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who sent a nitpicking message to Nawrocki, reminding him that under the Polish constitution it’s the government led by the prime minister that sets Polish foreign policy. “It will probably take some time for the president’s office to get up to speed, to fully understand the rules of the game and the consequences of the constitutional provisions. I will patiently explain and inform them what such cooperation should look like,” needled Tusk. NO LOVE LOST The visit is turning into a power play between the two politicians — whose distaste for each other is unconcealed. Nawrocki’s office reacted with disdain on getting instructions from the foreign ministry on the goals of the U.S. visit. Rafał Leśkiewicz, Nawrocki’s spokesperson, called them a “joke” printed out on a single sheet of paper. The foreign ministry fired back that it was, “in fact the position of the Polish government, which is by nature concise.” “The government’s approach is reductionist. They see the president as merely putting a face to policy or acting as a spokesperson, reading prepared instructions,” Radosław Fogiel, an MP for the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party that backs Nawrocki, told POLITICO. “Representing the country means something broader. The president, as the state’s representative, cannot be limited to a government spokesperson role,” said Fogiel, who is deputy chair of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.  On Wednesday, newly elected right-wing President Karol Nawrocki will be at the White House. | Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images But the government is adamant that Tusk holds the reins. “The president represents Poland but presents the position of the state, which is the position of the government, even if he disagrees with it,” foreign ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński told Polish media, adding: “There cannot be two foreign policies for one state.” FIGHTING FOR POWER The battle is part of a broader war over who rules Poland. Tusk leads a centrist coalition that took power in December 2023 after ousting the PiS government that had been in charge for eight years. Nawrocki was backed by PiS, and his victory in June, plus Trump’s return to the White House, derailed Tusk’s hopes of bringing Poland fully back into the EU mainstream. Tusk did have success in unblocking billions in EU cash that had been frozen by Brussels over worries that the previous PiS government was politicizing the courts and undermining the rule of law. His government was also welcomed back at the bloc’s top table — boosted by Poland’s rapidly growing military and defense budget as well as its stellar economic performance. Now he’s embroiled in a guerrilla war with Nawrocki, who is using his national mandate to try and carve out a bigger role for himself, both at home and abroad. In his first few weeks in office, Nawrocki vetoed a flurry of government-backed legislation. During a stormy meeting last week between Nawrocki and Tusk’s Cabinet, the president tried to get involved in the details of a project to build an airport in central Poland, berated the finance minister and called on the government to update its program to include his own campaign promises. While Nawrocki won’t have an easy time upending Tusk domestically, he does have more latitude outside the country. The trip to Washington will be Nawrocki’s first foreign visit — a sign of the importance of the U.S. to Poland and also of the political ties between the Polish and U.S. presidents. Nawrocki and Trump will hold “bilateral discussions, not only about Ukraine but also about Poland’s security. We must focus on threats to Poland, because there are plenty of them. That does not mean we will not talk about Ukraine’s future, because Poland cannot be left out of that discussion,” Nawrocki’s foreign policy aide Marcin Przydacz said earlier this week. Tusk and Nawrocki are set to meet one-on-one ahead of the trip to Washington; the alliance with the U.S. is seen as crucial to Poland’s security by all sides in the deeply divided country. TARGETING UKRAINIANS Poland’s fierce domestic political infighting is also straining Warsaw’s relations with Kyiv. The government’s competing against Nawrocki on who’s tougher against immigrants — including Ukrainians who fled to Poland after Russia’s attack. Nawrocki last week vetoed a government-sponsored bill extending help for Ukrainians in Poland, arguing it would put Ukrainians ahead of Poles in accessing health care and the 800-złoty (€188) monthly child benefit. The vetoed bill also put in question further financing by Poland of Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet. “This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine,” Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote on social platform X. “Mr. President, you must stop blindly attacking the government in the name of a political battle. You are hurting people who are fighting for their independence and at the same time helping Russia,” he added. Nawrocki’s office stressed Poland’s stance on supporting Ukraine’s defense is unchanged. He has now submitted his own bill on aid to Ukrainians in Poland, which, he said, could restore Starlink financing if the parliament — controlled by a majority fiercely opposed to Nawrocki — passes it. The government said it’s submitting its own proposal to restore Starlink financing for Ukraine ahead of the next parliamentary session, due Sept. 9-12.

Former Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski was hospitalized on Wednesday after being assaulted in the eastern city of Siedlce, in what authorities say was an attack linked to his role in shaping the country’s pandemic policies. “A few hours ago, I was the victim of a brutal attack,” Niedzielski said after the assault. “I was beaten by two men shouting: ‘Death to traitors to the homeland.’ I got punched in the face and then kicked while lying on the ground. The whole incident lasted several seconds, and then the perpetrators fled,” he added. Police confirmed late Wednesday that two men in their 30s were detained in connection with the incident. The suspects are expected to be questioned on Thursday. Authorities said more details about the suspects and the circumstances of the attack would be released after questioning concludes. The assault took place outside a restaurant in central Siedlce, the police said. Witnesses reported that the attackers loudly criticized the government’s Covid-era decisions before physically confronting the former health minister. Following the assault, Niedzielski was briefly admitted to the Provincial Hospital in Siedlce and discharged the same day with no serious injuries. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the attack Wednesday evening, vowing that the perpetrators would go to jail. “No mercy,” he said. Niedzielski, who led the health ministry from 2020 to 2023, was a central figure in implementing restrictions and vaccination campaigns that remain divisive among parts of the public. Commenting on the attack on Wednesday, Niedzielski said it was “the result of tolerating hate speech,” but also of the decision of Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński of depriving him of protection, “despite numerous threats” he had previously received. “I hope that this situation will cause reflections on all sides of the political scene that we are already on a slippery slope. Passivity will only condemn us to further escalation,” Niedzielski said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday warned nationalist vigilantes patrolling the German border to stand down, calling their actions illegal and disruptive, as his government grapples with rising tensions both on the frontier and within his ruling coalition. The warning follows Warsaw’s decision to temporarily reinstate border checks with Germany and Lithuania starting July 7, citing an unsubstantiated spike in migrants being pushed back by German authorities. In recent days, self‑declared “citizen patrols,” some reported to number in the hundreds, have gathered on the Polish side of the German border, claiming to prevent migrant returns sent by Berlin. The fracas over these patrols has strong political implications, and could pile pressure on Tusk’s increasingly fragile centrist coalition. While the government is telling the vigilantes to go home, conservative nationalist President-elect Karol Nawrocki is praising them. “Only the Border Guard has the right to control our borders,” government spokesperson Adam Szłapka said after a hastily convened security meeting in Warsaw. “Anyone impersonating officers or hindering their work will face consequences.” Videos circulating online show masked men stopping cars, asking for identification and attempting so-called “citizen arrests” of those they suspect of illegal entry. Regional officials have warned the actions may constitute impersonation of public authority and pose risks to public safety. Tusk branded the groups’ political backers, including some opposition lawmakers, “shameful and scandalous.” Nawrocki, by contrast, thanked one of the organizers, far-right activist Robert Bąkiewicz, earlier this week for what he called a “citizen-led defense of the border” — a comment critics argue risks legitimizing the self-appointed patrols. The decision to close the border was meant to give Tusk a platform to project strength at a precarious moment for his government. The premier is under pressure to reassert control following a humiliating defeat in last month’s presidential election, when Tusk–backed Rafał Trzaskowski lost to Law and Justice (PiS)-supported Nawrocki. The loss has shaken the alliance that brought Tusk to power in 2023 and emboldened his coalition partners to explore their options. In a sign of growing friction, junior coalition partners, including parliamentary Speaker Szymon Hołownia, were seen Thursday meeting privately with PiS lawmaker Adam Bielan, and reportedly even PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, in a late-night gathering that has fueled speculation of behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Tusk’s team insists the prime minister remains firmly in charge. He is expected to carry out a cabinet reshuffle later this month, a move seen in Warsaw as a test of his ability to reassert authority within the fractious coalition.

WARSAW — One of the groupings making up Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s ruling coalition is splitting in the wake of a disappointing presidential election that saw the candidate backed by the nationalist opposition win. However, the split between the Polish People’s Party (PSL) and Poland 2050, which formed an electoral alliance in 2023 called the Third Way, doesn’t endanger Tusk’s hold on power as neither party is quitting his coalition. Karol Nawrocki’s victory on June 1 shook the government; Tusk attempted to rally his backers by holding a vote of confidence last week. The Third Way’s presidential candidate, parliament Speaker Szymon Hołownia, won just 5 percent of the vote in the first round of the election, exacerbating tensions both inside the Third Way and within the broader coalition. His candidacy was seen as having undermined Tusk-backed liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. Tusk’s government now faces a reinvigorated Law and Justice (PiS) party backed by Nawrocki in the next general election in 2027. Since February, polls have shown the Third Way on the verge of the 8 percent threshold a coalition needs to win seats in the Polish parliament. Individual parties face a lower 5 percent threshold. “We are preparing for a solo run. We have our own potential, our values and programs,” PSL leader and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told Radio Zet on Wednesday. Kosiniak-Kamysz described the Third Way’s brief existence as a success that helped remove PiS from power in 2023. He also acknowledged that discussions about the split had been ongoing. “The perspective of running independently brings us genuine political joy,” Hołownia wrote on X, adding that Poland 2050 would agree on its political direction at a meeting on June 28. The split applies only to the 2027 election campaign. In parliament, both parties operate separate parliamentary clubs and remain members of Tusk’s coalition government.

Lawmakers and activists are warning that nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki’s win in the Polish presidential election represents a “defeat” for women’s rights and further threatens abortion access in Poland. Nawrocki, a self-described football hooligan backed by the right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party — and by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration — won Poland’s presidential election last weekend, narrowly beating centrist Rafał Trzaskowski. His victory deals a significant loss to the current government, led by centrist Donald Tusk, and represents “a devastating blow to anyone fighting for reproductive freedom,” said Nika Kovač, coordinator for the My Voice, My Choice campaign, which is working to improve access to abortion across the EU. “As a staunch conservative with strong nationalist backing, Nawrocki is expected not only to uphold but potentially tighten Poland’s already draconian abortion laws,” Kovač said in a written statement. “His win slams the door on hope for political reform in the near future — and locks in a future where women’s lives remain expendable.” Poland has some of the strictest abortion rules in Europe. The PiS party tightened the country’s abortion laws to a near-total ban in 2020, making the procedure allowed only in cases of rape or incest, or if the life of the woman is endangered. Nawrocki has said he would not sign any bills expanding the right to abortion. Tusk’s 2023 campaign, which pushed out PiS from government after eight years of rule, heavily relied on his commitment to liberalize abortion laws. But activists said they have become embittered with his promises, after attempts to ease the strict regulations hit a political wall as the opposition and incumbent President Andrzej Duda blocked several of his efforts. A bill to decriminalize abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy narrowly failed to pass in the parliament and a parliamentary vote to stop prosecuting people who assist with abortions failed because of conservatives within his ruling coalition.  “We are quite disillusioned and disappointed,” said Kinga Jelinska, an activist from women’s rights and abortion group Abortion Dream Team and co-founder of Women Help Women. “I am not surprised that many people did not go to vote in this election … These are the votes that were missing in comparison to 2023, because people are disillusioned and they don’t want to go and vote and then have nothing delivered.” Now, Nawrocki’s win means that “there is no chance to change the abortion laws in Poland,” said Polish Member of the European Parliament Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, from the Socialists and Democrats group.  Tusk’s efforts have been “effectively paralyzed,” added Kovač. “Even a supportive parliament cannot bypass a president who holds veto power — and Nawrocki has made it clear where he stands (on abortion).” This does not mean that Polish women will stop fighting for these rights, Scheuring-Wielgus said. “Sooner or later the discussion in Poland on this topic will erupt again. I am convinced of this.” HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT It’s not just the failed legislative efforts that anger activists; Jelinska said the current government has repeatedly failed to protect women seeking abortion and doctors performing the procedure from harassment, including at the newly opened Abotak center. Activists from Abortion Dream Team opened the center in March, right opposite the Polish parliament — the first place in Poland where women can go to access and take abortion pills. But the center has been the target of ongoing attacks and steady harassment since its opening, Jelinska said, and Tusk and Trzaskowski (Warsaw’s mayor) have done nothing about it, she claimed. “We have not seen any support for our center, even though this is a situation where we actually risk our health to be there,” she said. “It is fake promises, and people are not stupid.” Doctors and organizations assisting with abortion face constant harassment in Poland. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concluded last year that women in Poland are facing severe human rights violations due to restrictive abortion laws, with many forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, seek unsafe clandestine procedures or travel abroad for legal abortions. The case of Justyna Wydrzyńska, an activist who was sentenced to eight months of community service for facilitating an abortion in 2023, made international headlines. And in April, Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun stormed a hospital in Poland and threatened a doctor with a citizen’s arrest for performing a legal late-term abortion. “We also can expect that in the future, there will be more prosecution and more attacks, because this kind of voice gets legitimized in the presidential seat,” Jelinska said. Amid ongoing challenges, the EU should step up and show solidarity to women in Poland, Left MEP Manon Aubry said. Last month, Aubry was one of the MEPs that traveled to Poland to deliver abortion pills to the Abotak center. She said she is planning to do it again soon. “It’s part of the role of the European Union,” she said. “When fundamental values of the European Union are under threat — like it is the case in Poland when it comes to women’s rights or to rule of law in general — then it’s our responsibility to stand up and act in solidarity.” The My Voice, My Choice campaign wants the European Commission to establish a fund to help women who can’t access abortion care in their own country to travel to another with more liberal abortion laws. It successfully gathered the 1 million signatures needed to be considered by the Commission earlier this year.  The Polish election shows why the campaign is “more essential than ever,” Kovač said. “When the political system fails us, it is movements like ours that must lead the fight.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk intends to call a parliamentary vote of confidence in his government following the victory of opposition-backed Karol Nawrocki in Sunday’s presidential election, media reported Monday. “I want everyone to see, including our opponents at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the gravity of the moment, but that we do not intend to take a single step back,” said Tusk on Monday evening, according to Onet. Nawrocki, a right-wing populist who counts U.S. President Donald Trump among his allies, will aim to use the presidency block Tusk’s domestic agenda. His election victory casts doubt on whether Tusk’s government can make meaningful progress on social security reform and restoring the rule of law, or on hot-button issues like allowing same-sex partnerships or loosening Poland’s strict abortion rules. Declaring that the presidential elections “have not changed and will change nothing,” Tusk noted his government already has experience dealing with an uncooperative president and that there is an emergency plan for dealing with this scenario. Tusk expressed openness to working with Nawrocki if he proves to be cooperative, but said it would be a “surprise” if that is the case. The vote of confidence, first reported by Polsat, is intended to show “opponents at home and abroad that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the gravity of the moment, but that we do not intend to take a single step back.” Tusk is in a good position to survive the vote, given the presidential election has had no bearing on parliamentary arithmetic — though there are rumblings of discontent among his ruling coalition. Parliament speaker (and failed presidential candidate) Szymon Hołownia on Monday afternoon said the election result was “a yellow card — maybe even a red one — for this government and this coalition.” Hołownia’s Poland 2050 party has 35 MPs in Tusk’s coalition.

WARSAW — U.S. President Donald Trump acquired another powerful European ally after Karol Nawrocki’s victory in Sunday’s Polish presidential election. It’s terrible news for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose domestic reform agenda is now in tatters after the failure of liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski to win the presidency, defeated 50.89 percent to 49.11 percent by Nawrocki. Getting Trzaskowski into the ornate presidential palace in downtown Warsaw that once housed Russian governors was crucial to Tusk’s hopes of restoring rule of law and powering ahead with a domestic agenda that included everything from reform of the social security system to changes to hot-button social issues like allowing same-sex partnerships and loosening Poland’s draconian abortion rules. Perhaps most worryingly for Poland’s government, a win for Trzaskowski was also meant to offer certainty over Poland’s access to billions of euros of EU funds. Nawrocki’s victory now raises questions about this financial lifeblood as he is likely to block key judicial reforms. “Tusk’s reform agenda is, if not dead in the water, then at least dying,” said Ben Stanley, an associate professor at the Center for the Study of Democracy at the SWPS University in Warsaw. POPULISTS IN POWER Nawrocki joins other Central European populists such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico who are skeptical about the EU, keen on Trump and his vision of destroying traditional elites and unleashing culture wars, and lukewarm toward Ukraine and its fight for survival against Russia. “Trzaskowski’s win would have meant a unified voice for Warsaw on European and transatlantic affairs, but with Nawrocki, we’re likely to see a much stronger split — especially on eastern policy and relations with the U.S., which differ from Tusk’s approach,” said Adam Traczyk, executive director at More In Common, an international think tank. During the campaign, Nawrocki visited Trump in the the Oval Office and received no-holds-barred support from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Donald Trump is a strong leader for us, but you have an opportunity to have just as strong of a leader in Karol if you make him the leader of this country,” she said while in Poland, and denounced Trzaskowski as a “socialist” and “an absolute train wreck of a leader.” Nawrocki, who trumpets traditional values, is no fan of LGBTQ+ rights, wants a halt to most immigration, is leery of ambitious EU projects and said he would block Ukraine’s effort to join NATO. But unlike Fico and Orbán, who rule their countries, Nawrocki has a more marginal role. Polish presidents have a mostly ceremonial function, but they can veto legislation. This is a particular problem for Tusk, whose parliamentary majority cannot overrride the veto. That’s what incumbent President Andrzej Duda, backed by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, has been doing since Tusk and his coalition took power in December 2023. Nawrocki will continue that effort. “Nawrocki will see blocking Tusk’s every move not only as a means to stymieing the government’s rule-of-law reforms, but also as a means of proving the coalition’s lack of efficacy ahead of the next parliamentary elections,” Stanley said. A ‘RUTHLESS’ LEADER Confrontation is already in the air. Immediately after the polls closed on Sunday night, and when it was still unclear who had won, Nawrocki said his victory was crucial to prevent Tusk from seizing absolute power. Jacek Sasin, a senior member of PiS, said on Monday that Nawrocki will be a “ruthless” president. “Karol Nawrocki will not back down from anything, he will not make any compromises. He will pursue the interests of Poland and Poles very strongly,” he told Radio Zet. Nawrocki’s victory is unlikely to have much of an impact on foreign and EU policy, where the government takes the lead. That means Tusk’s approach of junking the eight years of isolationism, EU-skepticism and anti-German views that dominated when PiS ruled from 2015 to 2023 won’t change. Tusk is pushing hard for Poland to set the direction of the EU alongside Germany and France. Until Sunday he had been a leader of the triumvirate, with French President Emmanuel Macron damaged politically, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz still finding his feet. Now Tusk joins the ranks of the walking wounded. Weakened at home, Tusk is unlikely to remain the EU’s standard-bearer for mainstream politics and a counter to populism, said Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw who specializes in European integration. “Tusk let his attention drift away from domestic politics, as he focused on international matters more. Now he’s going to pay the price,” Mieńkowska-Norkiene said. But making progress in domestic politics will be very difficult. Thanks to dissensions with the ruling coalition and opposition from Duda, the Tusk government didn’t manage to ease Poland’s strict abortion laws, legalize civil partnerships, build more housing, or give environmental protection higher priority. With PiS ebullient over Nawrocki’s victory and preparing to storm back to power in the 2027 parliamentary election — or earlier if it can force a collapse of the government — Nawrocki has little reason to play ball with Tusk. Frustration over the lack of progress is driving down the government’s support; it’s down to just 32 percent in May from a high of 41 percent in early 2024. Meanwhile, the percentage of those opposing the government has risen to 44 percent, the highest since Tusk took office. That also leaves the effort to return Poland to rule of law uncompleted. During PiS’s time in office, the party went to war with Brussels over its deep changes to the legal system, which the EU said undermined the bloc’s democratic principles by politicizing judges. In response, the European Commission froze €137 billion in EU funds earmarked for Poland. The Commission unblocked those funds last year, but largely on the strength of promises from Tusk and not on many concrete steps to reform the justice system, which were blocked by Duda. When asked whether the government could now risk losing those funds, European Commission Spokesperson Markus Lammert said: “We will continue monitoring and we will support the government in their efforts.” “The rule of law repair process in Poland just got incredibly more difficult,” Jakub Jaraczewski, a researcher at Reporting Democracy, a think tank focused on rule of law, posted on social media. “I expect President Nawrocki to be even less cooperative than Duda, as Nawrocki will work hard for a PiS parliamentary election victory. Tough times ahead.”

Centrist European leaders gritted their teeth and congratulated conservative populist candidate Karol Nawrocki on his Polish presidential election win Sunday. While there was cautious optimism among the mainstream that Poland will continue cooperating with the EU, Europe’s right wing cheered a perceived defeat for Brussels. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her congratulatory message on X, called on Nawrocki to “work to ensure the security and prosperity of our common home,” the European Union.  Under the previous rule of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which backed Nawrocki, relationships between Brussels and Warsaw became strained over clampdowns on human rights and backsliding on the rule of law, culminating in the suspension of EU funds for Poland.  Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government, which took power in 2023, attempted to restore relations and repair democratic institutions, but the previous president from PiS, Andrzej Duda, stood in the way with his veto power. Euroskeptic Nawrocki, who hinted strongly that he would fight any EU federalist tendencies, is poised to continue Duda’s efforts. “I’m confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland,” von der Leyen wrote. “We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed hope that the two allied countries would continue close cooperation. On the campaign trail, Nawrocki promised he would block Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, but agreed to continue providing weapons as Kyiv resists Russia’s full-scale invasion.   “By reinforcing one another on our continent, we give greater strength to Europe in global competition and bring the achievement of real and lasting peace closer,” he wrote in a congratulatory post on X. “I look forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Poland and with President Nawrocki personally.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, another conservative nationalist, who now likely has another ally in Warsaw, was more enthusiastic in his congratulations. “What a nail-biter!” he wrote on X, congratulating Nawrocki “on his fantastic victory,” adding that he is looking forward to strengthening cooperation within the Visegrad, an alliance of four Central European countries in the EU, three of which — Poland, Hungary and Slovakia — will now be headed by Euroskeptics.  Jordan Bardella, the rising figure of the French far right, was also delighted by Nawrocki’s win.  “The Polish people have spoken and their free and democratic choice must be respected, including by the Brussels leaders who were fervently hoping for their defeat,” he wrote.  Nawrocki narrowly beat centrist Rafał Trzaskowski in Poland’s presidential election runoff, winning 50.89 percent of the vote to 49.11 percent, according to the electoral commission.