Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday, June 2, called for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election.
European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of US President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights. He won Sunday's runoff in the highly polarized EU and NATO member state with 51% of the vote to 49% for Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski.
In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said he wanted the confidence vote "soon" and vowed to stay on, adding that the election "will not change anything." His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party said that Poles had shown him the "red card." Kaczynski called for a "technical" government of experts to replace the current one.
Nawrocki said on X that he wanted Poland to be "a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations": "I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal." He could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees.
Nationalist leaders rushed to congratulate Nawrocki. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his fellow nationalist's "fantastic victory," writing on X: "We are looking forward to working with you." French far-right leader Marine Le Pen also welcomed the "good news," while Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered "best wishes" to Nawrocki and said their countries "share common values."
Other EU leaders gave a more measured response. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "confident" that "very good cooperation" would continue with Warsaw. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Nawrocki to work towards "a strong, independent and competitive Europe that respects the rule of law." In his congratulatory statement late Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "The Polish people have spoken and support a stronger military and securing their borders."