Presidential election
Right -wing radical presents conditions in Poland before the runoff election
Slawomir Mentzen is eliminated as a third -placed man from the race for Poland’s presidency. But he plays Zünglein on the scales – and increases the pressure on the remaining candidates.
The right -wing extremist Polish presidential candidate Slawomir Mentzen, who left after the first round, has linked his election recommendation for the runoff election to conditions. He would invite both the liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski from Donald Tusk’s government camp and Karol Nawrocki from the opposition Pi to a debate on his YouTube channel, said Mentzen in Warsaw.
During the debate, he would present an eight-point plan for signature from both candidates, the 38-year-old entrepreneur said. Among other things, the candidates should commit themselves to not allow tax increases in the event of an election to the president, not to introduce the euro as a currency and not to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine. They should also refuse their consent to laws that shift the competencies of Polish government agencies to EU organs.
PIS candidate Nawrocki announced to X that he would take part in the conversation on YouTube and was also ready to sign Mentzen’s explanation. Trzaskowski only said he agreed with some of the points.
Mentzens voters “no potato bags”
“If you don’t get the debate, please do not complain to me if you lose the runoff election,” said Mentzen. His voters are not potato sacks that can simply be carried back and forth.
On Sunday, the first ballot in the race for the Polish presidency had a very short result: the liberal Trzaskowski (31.36 percent) won with a narrow lead over the national conservative Nawrocki (29.54 percent). Mentzen landed in third place with 14.81 percent. He is eliminated for the runoff election. However, his support could be decisive.
Tusk urgently needs reforms liberal victory
Tusk, who has ruled with a center-left alliance since the end of 2023, urgently needs the victory of his candidate Trzaskowski if he wants to enforce his reforms. The previous incumbent Andrzej Duda comes from the ranks of the opposition PIS and has blocked many legal projects with his veto law.
The national conservative PIS of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023 and because of their judicial reforms in the constant dispute with Brussels, on the other hand, sees power in a victory of her candidate Nawrocki. Because if Tusk has his teeth on the new President Nawrocki, according to the calculation, his already fragile three coalition could soon break up. The result would be new elections.
Right radical than Zünglein on the scales
In this scramble of the two great political forces that Poland has dominated for 20 years, mentists could now play the Zünglein on the scales. The doctor of economics who carries the hair in the Undercut shaved in the Undercut scores especially among young people. In the first round, almost 39 percent of voters under the age of 29 voted for him.
Mentzen speaks a lot about his libertarian ideas: lower taxes and social security contributions, conversion of state healthcare to private insurance, no further expansion of the welfare state. He wants to abolish “unnecessary” state institutions and authorities. This is actually not in line with the ideas of the PIS, which stands for more social redistribution.
Mentists for abortion ban and against refugees
But mentists and his confederacja also stand for nationalist, arch -conservative and anti -European ideas. This is how Mentzen supports an absolute abortion ban – even if the pregnancy is the result of rape. He rushes against Ukrainian war refugees and accuses Germany of pushing back to Poland masses of Muslim migrants. This places him near the pis.
Rafal Trzaskowski, on the other hand, depends on the backing of the middle-left-left spectrum fragmented in several small parties. The candidate of the Christian conservative third way, Szymon Holownia, pronounced his support on election evening. The candidate of the left alliance Lewica, Magdalena Biejat, also wants to support Trzaskowski. The left Adrian Zandberg is expected to give a corresponding recommendation. However, all three politicians received 14.18 percent in the first ballot – less than the right -wing extremist mentus alone.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
