Conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly wins Poland's runoff presidential election

Conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki this weekend narrowly won Poland's runoff election for president, according to Monday's final vote count.

Nawrocki won with 50.89% of the vote, compared to liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski's 49.11%, the Associated Press reported. Trzaskowski was ahead in an early exit poll released Sunday evening before updated polling showed a reversal.

“I fought for us to build a strong, safe, honest, and empathetic Poland together,” Trzaskowski posted on X on Monday. 

"And I'm sorry that I didn't manage to convince the majority of citizens of my vision of Poland," he later said. "I'm sorry that we didn't win together. I congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning the presidential election. This victory is binding, especially in such difficult times. Especially with such a close result. Please remember that."

While most of the day-to-day power in Poland's political system lies with the prime minister, whom parliament chooses, the president holds the power to influence foreign policy and to veto legislation.

The Polish constitution allows a president to serve a five-year term and be re-elected once. Nawrocki will succeed conservative President Andrzej Duda, whose last term ends on Aug. 6.

Nawrocki, a 42-year-old amateur boxer and historian, was tapped by Poland's Law and Justice party to run in an effort to give the party a fresh start. The conservative party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, when the current prime minister's centrist coalition won.

President Trump favored Nawrocki in the race, welcoming him to the White House a month ago.