POLISH CONSERVATIVE WINS RE-ELECTION
President Andrzej Duda of Poland was narrowly elected to a second term after the votes were counted Monday following the country’s closest presidential election since the end of communist rule in 1989, clearing a potential obstacle for the conservative nationalist government.
Duda and the governing party have fought to control the courts and media, while stoking fear of gay people, the European Union and foreigners. For many in the opposition, the race was not only a contest between competing visions for Poland, but a last chance to save institutions that form the bedrock of a healthy democracy.
While the tight vote underscored the extent to which the deep divisions in Poland have only intensified after five years governed by the Law and Justice party, there was no suggestion the government would now change course.
Duda’s promise to protect “traditional families” resonated with older voters and churchgoers, especially in the eastern half of the country, helping him fend off a fierce challenge from Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw.
The opposition was fueled by support from young people around the country, securing a majority of votes from people under 50, and turnout was among the highest since the country turned away from communism.
Poland’s major cities, from Gdansk in the north to Krakow in the south, were bastions of resistance, but the governing party rallied its faithful in rural communities, many left behind in the rapid transition from communism to capitalism.
Trzaskowski conceded defeat Monday afternoon,
Duda had secured 51.03 percent of the vote. Trzaskowski won 48.97 percent. The turnout was 68.18 percent.
With the next parliamentary elections not scheduled until 2023, Duda’s re-election ensured that the governing party will be able to continue to reshape the nation in ways that critics contend undermine open political debate and the rule of law.