This is how Rafal Trzaskowski needs to win the presidential election towards Karol Nawrocki | EUROtoday

The Plac Defilad within the Warsaw Center is a large development web site. In the earlier concrete desert in entrance of the Palace of Culture and Sciences – as soon as a “gift” of Stalin and at this time the image of Warsaw – the earth ran over the earth. In the longer term, inexperienced areas and timber shouldn’t solely make the summer time warmth tolerable, but additionally make the world across the palace look pleasant. However, the timber, or slightly their origin, lately brought about bother. Because they arrive from a tree nursery in Brandenburg. For representatives of the nationalist-conservative get together regulation and justice (PIS) within the Warsaw City Council, this was suspicious of (additional) proof that Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski delivers the capital to the Germans-and that, within the occasion of its victory within the presidential election, additionally threatens all of Poland.

Trzaskowski, member of the Liberal-Conservative Party alliance Citizens’ Coalition (KO) of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has been Warsaw “City President” since 2018, as Mayor of Polish cities are referred to as. Five years in the past, after the failure of his get together’s failure, he joined the race towards incumbent Andrzej Duda, who competed for the PIS, and would have turn out to be a hair president. This 12 months the second and final time period of workplace ends Dudas, which is why the Ko hopes to maneuver into the presidential palace with its applicant this time. In autumn, three quarters of the get together members voted for Trzaskowski in an inner space. And up to now, the 53 -year -old father of the household is in entrance in all surveys. But in view of 13 candidates, it is not going to be sufficient for a win within the first poll subsequent Sunday, for which he wants absolutely the majority, and in accordance with analysts within the runoff election on June 1st.

Because the selection can also be a troublesome argument between the camps PIS and KO, which have very opposing concepts about the way forward for Poland. The PIS seems as a welfare state, authoritarian pressure, which, like Donald Trump within the USA, propagates “Poland first” and thus means an isolationistic, Catholic, white nation with a standard household image. In addition, she sees Poland continuously surrounded by enemies. Above all of Russia, but additionally from Germany, the PIS consultant largely name it in a single breath. They disparaged Prime Minister Donald Tusk as a “German agent” in addition to Brussels and the European Union as “Eurocolate”, who, just like the Soviet Union Poland, wished to maintain small. Whether your main representatives consider this doesn’t matter, with the PIS Kerna citizens, a few third of the eligible voters, it falls on fertile soil.

The KO, however, is an alliance of conservative, heart and the Greens, which represents socially liberal-conservative positions, promotes a Poland inside alliances, however is barely marginally totally different from the course of the PIS in subjects similar to protection, inner safety and migration. For this, she believes in a robust Poland via cooperation in NATO and EU, which additionally consists of cooperation with Germany. Too usually and even loudly speak about it, Ko-representatives don’t wish to scare German-skeptical voters. With one of many quite a few tv debates upfront of the election, all candidates prevented the query of which capital they might first journey to after the election, for instance with “Berlin”.

Trzaskowski may be very cautious on this election marketing campaign. If he began 5 years in the past as a recent candidate and new face with quite a lot of vitality, he’s now continuously attempting to keep away from errors. “For me, the most important thing is not to bump anyone,” he stated this week in an interview with the journal “Polityka”. Five years in the past, it was “easier in many ways” and the position as a challenger was much less nerve-racking. The election marketing campaign is totally totally different at this time. “I have been the candidate in Spe for five years – if you can say that.” In 2020 the PIS dominated, and many individuals linked the hope of change with Trzaskowski; The turnout was virtually 70 p.c excessive. However, the KO in Poland has been in energy for a 12 months and a half, however lots of its voters are disillusioned, additionally as a result of promised reforms such because the liberalization of abortion rights or the restoration of the rule of regulation don’t progress or solely progress very slowly. However, that is additionally because of the truth that President Duda, which is related to the PIS, blocks many of those tasks together with his veto – and Trzaskowski might resolve the brake within the occasion of his alternative.

Not solely the KO sees the selection as one of the crucial necessary for Poles in a very long time. Surveys however point out a considerably decrease turnout on Sunday, and this may very well be an issue, particularly for Trzaskowski, which can want each voice of the liberal camp within the runoff election on June 1st. As lately, once more in a TV debate, the candidate of the PIS, Karol Nawrocki, a Polish and a rainbow flag and the latter provocatively positioned on Trzaskowski’s desk as a result of the PIS at all times assaults the Warsaw Mayor due to his liberal dealing with of minorities, Trzaskowski confirmed nerves and hidden her flag. Whereupon the candidate of the left, Magdalena Biejat, picked up and demonstratively placed on her desk.

Later Trzaskowski admitted to having made a mistake. The incontrovertible fact that he doesn’t commit himself to his supporters out of concern of scareing voters of the opposing camp, he might finally price Polish politicians to price essential votes. Trzaskowski is the one among the many promising candidates who doesn’t primarily make politics with fears, blame and darkish prophecies, however slightly convey confidence. “We should be guided by solidarity, empathy and openness to everyone who wants to build Poland,” he says many times within the election marketing campaign.

Trzaskowski is an enormous metropolis little one, he comes from Warsaw, was born in a household of artists in 1972, his father was one of many pioneers of Free Jazz within the People’s Republic of Poland. He studied political science in Warsaw, Oxford and Paris and is probably the most politically skilled by all candidates. This 12 months he met France’s President Emmanuel Macron and with heads of state from Scandinavia and traveled to the Munich Security Conference. He was a member of the EU, Minister in Warsaw and received the mayoral election within the Polish capital twice within the first poll. As early as 2020, he achieved his greatest election outcomes as presidential candidate in giant cities, which is why his opponents symbolize him as a part of a withdrawn, cosmopolitan elite that speaks 5 languages ​​fluently, however doesn’t perceive something about “normal life in the country”.

The candidate counters this with demonstrative visits in rural areas, through which round 60 p.c of the 30 million voters stay, and he guarantees farmers from unfair competition-such as importing Ukrainian grain, which brought about quite a lot of resentment-or the Mercosur Agreement between the EU and South America. The latter didn’t comply with Poland in addition to France. In addition, Trzaskowski helps the short-term suspension of asylum regulation for migrants, which is briefly suspended by the Polish-Belarusian border, and he helps a discount in social advantages for Ukrainian refugees who don’t work in Poland. The state improvement financial institution has proven that Ukrainian refugees, most of whom work anyway, pay extra into the Polish social safety funds than they get out, however Trzaskowski isn’t free from populism both.

Poland has taken up many of the Ukrainian refugees, he stated at a gathering with worldwide media on crucial inquiries. “No country has done here anymore.” At the identical time, he emphasised that the topping up of Polish protection spending to 5 p.c. He formulated clear expectations of Germany. “Germany has to take on more responsibility in Europe,” he stated, and that he hopes very a lot on Friedrich Merz. “His CDU is closer to us than that of Angela Merkel.” It was “sad” that the Chancellor “does not admit a single mistake”, however her refugee coverage and her view of Putin had been a “serious mistake” as a traditional buying and selling companion.

His worst opponent, the PIS candidate Karol Nawrocki, didn’t save with the accusation that Trzaskowski was solely vicarious brokers of the Germans, utilizing the Polish phrase “camera dyner”. Trzaskowski rejected that. “We are a proud nation,” he stated. “We make our own decisions.” So up to now he additionally handles it in Warsaw. The choice to plant timber from Germany on the central sq. it turned out, the commissioned panorama development firm had made after a Europe -wide tender. It was, stated the corporate, who had been most fitted and low-cost for the venture.