Polish Presidential Election 2025: Statistics, Candidates, and Results

The Polish presidential election was held in two rounds. The first round took place on May 18, 2025, with 13 candidates participating, but none secured an absolute majority (50%+1). Consequently, a second round was held on June 1, 2025, between the two most popular candidates.

According to the Polish National Electoral Commission, voter turnout in the second round reached 71.63%, with a total of 20,843,805 valid votes cast. This reflects high public engagement, underscoring the political significance of the election for Polish society.

Poland has over 28 million eligible voters, and forecasts before the second round predicted that the candidates could be separated by just 70,000–100,000 votes.

Among Polish citizens living in Latvia, over 600 eligible voters participated, with three-fifths supporting Rafał Trzaskowski.

Candidates

In the first round on May 18, 2025, 13 candidates competed, but attention focused on two main contenders:

• Rafał Trzaskowski (Civic Coalition, KO): Mayor of Warsaw, nominated by the liberal-conservative party led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He represented a more liberal approach, supporting ideas such as the recognition of same-sex partnerships, the Istanbul Convention, less restrictive abortion laws, EU migration policies, and other principles often referred to in public discourse as core European values. In the first round, he secured 31.4% of the vote.

• Karol Nawrocki (Law and Justice, PiS): Historian and candidate of the national-conservative opposition, advocating for the preservation of conservative values, strengthening the family institution, and national culture, while firmly opposing the equalization of same-sex partnerships with family, gender ideology, imposed migration policies, and state bureaucracy. In the first round, he received 29.5% of the vote.

Other notable candidates in the first round:

• Sławomir Mentzen (14.8%) – represented the right-wing populist faction.

• Grzegorz Braun (6.3%) – conservative candidate.

• Szymon Hołownia (5.0%), Adrian Zandberg (4.9%), and Magdalena Biejat (4.2%) – represented left-wing or centrist forces.

In the second round on June 1, 2025, Karol Nawrocki won a tight race with 50.89% of the vote (10,606,628 votes), while Rafał Trzaskowski received 49.11% (10,237,177 votes). The margin between the candidates was just 369,451 votes, highlighting the intensity of the competition.

Political Significance

These elections reflect the polarization of Polish society between conservative and liberal ideologies. Karol Nawrocki, representing Law and Justice, emphasized the preservation of conservative values, resonating with a significant portion of voters. He is also noted as a supporter of the political course of Donald Trump and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni.

In contrast, Rafał Trzaskowski’s liberal platform attracted urban residents and younger voters but was insufficient to defeat the opposition candidate.

The election outcome could impact Poland’s domestic policy, including debates on social issues, as well as its relations with the European Union, where Law and Justice often adopts a more skeptical stance, prioritizing Poland’s national interests. The candidates’ differing views clearly define the political orientations of Polish society. The influence of the Polish Catholic Church, with its conservative values, is also noteworthy.

The victorious party in the 2025 presidential election is Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS). Among the most prominent representatives of the party, who play significant roles in Polish politics, are:

• Jarosław Kaczyński – party leader and one of Poland’s most influential politicians. Former prime minister (2006–2007) and the main ideological driver of PiS, emphasizing national-conservative values.

• Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland from 2005 to 2010, representing Law and Justice. He tragically died on April 10, 2010, in the Smolensk plane crash, a significant event in Poland’s and PiS’s history. Lech Kaczyński was Jarosław Kaczyński’s twin brother and a party co-founder; his presidency and tragic death continue to shape PiS’s political narrative and supporter base.

• Mateusz Morawiecki – former Prime Minister of Poland (2017–2023), representing PiS’s economic and administrative policies. He actively shaped the party’s international image.

• Beata Szydło – former prime minister (2015–2017) and current Member of the European Parliament, popular among conservative voters.

• Zbigniew Ziobro – former justice minister and leader of Solidary Poland, a PiS ally. Known for judicial reforms that sparked disputes with the EU.

• Andrzej Duda – outgoing President of Poland (2015–2025), whose term ended with these elections. He was closely associated with PiS and supported its legislative initiatives.