The two candidates who will vie for the Polish presidency in June 1 runoff elections led rival marches in the capital, Warsaw, on Sunday.
One march was headed by Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who has voiced support for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and the other by Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian whose backers believe he stands for conservative values and holds an anti-abortion position.
The vote comes as incumbent conservative President Andrzej Duda is due to leave office in summer when his second and final five-year term ends.
Trzaskowski’s march was also attended by newly elected Romanian President Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU politician who defeated far-right challenger George Simion late last week.
What do we know about the rival candidates?
Trzaskowski called his rally a “March of Patriots,” while Nawrocki’s followers held a “March for Poland.”
Recent polls have shown that the election is likely to be closely fought, with both candidates enjoying 47% support.
The election could have a great influence on the political direction taken by Poland, as the president has enough powers to block any government’s agenda.
Duda is backed the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which held power in Poland for eight years from 2015 to 2023.
PiS hope to retain presidential veto
Duda has used his presidential veto to stop many of the bills put forward by reformist Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, including attempts to reform the judiciary.
Tusk came to power in 2023 under a broad coalition of center-left and centrist parties and has pledged to undo policies enacted by PiS that had been criticized by the EU for undermining rule of law and minority rights.
Trazaskowski, who is backed by Tusk’s ruling Civic Coalition alliance, received the most votes in last Sunday’s first round with 31.36% support.
Nawrocki, who is backed by the PiS party, won 29.54% of votes.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
