Election campaign: Big demos are supposed to mobilize Poland before the presidential election

A week before the runoff election around the Presidential Office in Poland, both candidates rely on a public strength. Who brings most people to the streets in Warsaw today? The liberal applicant Rafal Trzaskowski called on the “Patriots’ March”. At the same time, his rival Karol Nawrocki from the national conservative PIS asks to the “March for Poland”.

The rallies should motivate their own supporters – and impress the undecided. At least that is the hope of the two camps, because according to surveys it is pointed on button: Both Trzaskowski and Nawrocki can count on 47 percent of the votes next Sunday.

Election outcome also important for Germany

The result of the election will significantly determine Poland’s further course – with effects for Germany and Europe. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU and NATO country of Poland has gained political weight. This was recently shown by the trip to Kiev by Prime Minister Donald Tusk together with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), France President Emmanuel Macron and the British Premier Keir Strander.

Tusk needs the victory of his candidate Trzaskowski to implement his reform policy and restore the rule of law demolished by the PIS. The previous President Andrzej Duda, who comes from the ranks of the PIS, has blocked the most draft of Tusk’s government with his veto law. If Nawrocki becomes new head of state, he should continue this blockade policy. Tusk’s center-left alliance does not have the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament to abolish the president’s veto.

Wohlen around the right -wing extremist voters

And Nawrocki looks sharply to the right. Because there is the most voters for the 42-year-old PIS candidate. The first election round revealed a shockingly high influx for two right -wing extremists. The 38-year-old entrepreneur Slawomir Mentzen, who scored with a Maga-like program (“Make America Great Again” was the election campaign slogan of US President Donald Trump), was given almost 15 percent of the vote. The anti -Semite Grzegorz Braun landed at more than six percent.

Both were eliminated from the race. But Mentzen now wants to play the Zünglein on the scales. He has invited Nawrocki and Trzaskowski to his YouTube show individually and presented his eight-point plan for signature. He makes his election recommendation dependent on that.

For an hour, the spectators were witnessing how the 42-year-old doctor Nawrocki undisguised, constantly addressed him with “Herr Doctor” and, at his behest, criticized the Christian social aspects of PIS policy from right. “The gentlemen ate each other out of the beak almost,” wrote the magazine “Polityka”.

In the end, Nawrocki made his signature under Mentzen’s eight-point plan. Among other things, he undertakes not to sign an law that Ukraine’s accession to NATO ratifies to defend the national currency Zloty and not to submit any competencies from the Polish government to Brussels.

Trzaskowski does not want to sign eight-point plan

With his guest Trzaskowski, right -wing extremist Mentzen had more work. The 54-year-old Warsaw Mayor, who also gained experience in the European Parliament and as a minister, showed his foreign and European policy competence and took the arguments apart. In the end, he refused to sign its eight-point plan.

It is out of the question for him to write down the perspective of a NATO accession of Ukraine, said Trzaskowski: “Putin only understands the language of strength. If Ukraine does not get any security guarantees, we are next.” Trzaskowski will now have to do without the support of the majority of Mentzen’s voters in the runoff election.