WARSAW: Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist historian who has written about the criminal underworld, heads into Sunday’s presidential run-off tied with his opponent, pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.
Nawrocki has been endorsed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.
The party is closely allied with outgoing President Andrzej Duda -- who has publicly backed Nawrocki -- and is a long-standing rival of the ruling Civic Coalition.
Nawrocki campaigned under the slogan “Poland first, Poles first”.
While he has pledged to continue Poland’s support for neighbouring Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, he has denounced the benefits given to war refugees.
He said in a campaign video in April that “social benefits will be above all for Poles” and that “in queues for doctors and clinics, Polish citizens must have priority”.
In May, he claimed Ukraine “has not shown gratitude for what Poles have done” and accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of “insolence”.
He opposes Ukraine’s bid to join NATO.
- Photos with Trump -
Nawrocki is an admirer of Donald Trump and has said Poland should focus on shaping and leading Europe’s relations with the US president.
Nawrocki met Trump at the White House in May and claimed Trump had told him: “You will win”.
Some lawmakers from the governing coalition have accused Trump of election interference.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also endorsed Nawrocki when she attended a conservative conference in Poland, saying: “He needs to be the next president.”
Nawrocki has called for controls on the border with Germany to keep out migrants, and would like Berlin to pay wartime reparations to Poland.
While wooing voters ahead of the razor-edge run-off, Nawrocki signed an eight-point pledge prepared by far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen.
The election campaign saw Nawrocki embroiled in a series of scandals.
While arguing against a property tax, he claimed to only own one flat. Later it was revealed he had acquired a second one through a convoluted deal with an elderly man.
A bombshell news report also alleged he had arranged prostitutes for guests while working as a hotel security guard.
Nawrocki called the accusations “a bunch of lies” and said he would sue the news site.
Born in the Baltic port city of Gdansk, Nawrocki boxed and played football in his youth before earning a PhD in history and an MBA.
He served as the director of the World War II museum in Gdansk from 2017 to 2021. Since then, he has led the Institute of National Remembrance, which investigates Nazi and communist-era crimes.
His research focuses on Poland’s anti-communist opposition, organised crime during the communist era and sports history.
Last year, Russia added Nawrocki to its wanted list for his alleged efforts to remove Soviet-era monuments in Poland.
Nawrocki said he obtained a gun licence and firearm after winding up in Russia’s crosshairs.
- Dual identity -
Nawrocki has written several books, including one under a pen name that landed him in an unusual controversy.
In 2018, he secretly published a book about the communist-era gangster Nikodem Skotarczak using the pseudonym Tadeusz Batyr.
That same year, a blurred and voice-altered “Batyr” appeared on state television claiming Nawrocki had inspired the book.
Nawrocki later wrote on social media that Batyr had sought his advice and “thanked me with an interesting book, which I recommend”.
But local media recently uncovered that Batyr and Nawrocki were one and the same.
One TikTok user said: “Maybe they’ll substitute Batyr for Nawrocki in the runoff. In any case, the one backs the other. That’s two votes already.”
Political opponents seized on the revelation.
Nawrocki has also faced accusations of ties to gangsters and neo-Nazis, which he has rejected as “deep manipulation”, insisting his contacts were for professional purposes.
“No one has ever heard a good word from me about Nazism,“ he said.
Nawrocki speaks English and still boxes in his spare time. He has said Poland needs “a strong president for tough times”.
He lives with his wife, Marta, and has two children and an adult stepson.
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