Overview

• Poland holds its first round of presidential elections today, with no candidate expected to secure an outright majority, setting up a likely June 1 runoff.
• Rafał Trzaskowski, Warsaw's liberal mayor backed by Donald Tusk’s pro-European coalition, leads opinion polls with a platform of EU integration and reform.
• Karol Nawrocki, a PiS-supported historian, promotes a nationalist agenda and faces scrutiny over alleged ethical misconduct involving a property deal.
• The election will determine whether Tusk’s government can advance its reform agenda or if PiS retains veto power through the presidency.
• Under PiS rule from 2015 to 2023, Poland saw significant judicial and media overhauls, leading to EU tensions that remain a central issue in this election.