Polish Parties Pick Candidates as Presidential Race Starts
(Bloomberg) -- Poland’s biggest opposition party Law & Justice selected historian Karol Nawrocki to run in next year’s presidential election in a bid to hold on to the role as a counterweight to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government.
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Nawrocki, 41, a relatively little-known figure who has been leading the state Institute of National Remembrance, will compete against Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. The pro-European Union Civic Platform picked Trzaskowski in a separate primary Saturday.
Securing the presidency is key for Tusk’s government, which vowed to restore the rule of law and bring Poland back toward the European mainstream. Its attempts have so far faced opposition from President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the former nationalist Law & Justice administration. Duda’s second and final term ends in August 2025.
The weekend’s selections signal the start of the campaign ahead of the ballot expected in May. Law & Justice sought a candidate outside of its core leadership to help focus the campaign on the economy, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told a convention in the southern city of Krakow.
Security issues will also be paramount in the presidential race amid signs of escalation in Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine in the past weeks.
(Updates with comment from party leader.)
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