Centrist Trzaskowski leads tght presidential race in Poland

Poland opened its first round of presidential elections on Sunday at 7 a.m. local time, with nearly 29 million citizens eligible to vote for a new head of state. Current President Andrzej Duda is barred from running due to the country’s two-term limit.

Thirteen candidates are competing, representing a wide political spectrum. However, polls suggest a lead for Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a pro-European centrist backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform party, with projected support exceeding 30%.

Trailing him is Karol Nawrocki, a conservative and nationalist candidate supported by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, expected to receive around 24%.

Slawomir Mentzen, a far-right figure representing the Confederation of Liberty and Independence, is polling third, with an estimated 12–13% of the vote.

If no candidate wins an outright majority, a second round runoff—likely between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki—is expected on June 1.