Poles voting for president face choice between Trump-aligned historian and liberal mayor of Warsaw

WARSAW, Poland — Poles began voting Sunday successful a decisive statesmanlike runoff that could acceptable the people for the nation's governmental aboriginal and its relations with the European Union.

The contention pits Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a wide pro-EU figure, against Karol Nawrocki, a blimpish historiographer backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party.

The result volition find whether Poland continues on a nationalist way oregon pivots much decisively toward wide antiauthoritarian norms. With blimpish President Andrzej Duda completing his 2nd and last term, the caller president volition person important power implicit whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist authorities tin fulfill its centrist agenda, fixed the statesmanlike powerfulness to veto laws.

Voting began astatine 7 a.m. section clip and volition extremity astatine 9 p.m., erstwhile an Ipsos exit canvass is expected. Final results are apt to beryllium announced Monday. The runoff follows a tightly contested archetypal circular connected May 18, successful which Trzaskowski won conscionable implicit 31% and Nawrocki astir 30%, eliminating 11 different candidates.

The run has highlighted stark ideological divides. Trzaskowski, 53, has promised to reconstruct judicial independence, easiness termination restrictions, and beforehand constructive ties with European partners. Nawrocki, 42, has positioned himself arsenic a defender of accepted Polish values, skeptical of the EU, and aligned with U.S. conservatives, including President Donald Trump.

Nawrocki's candidacy has been clouded by allegations of past connections to transgression figures and information successful a convulsive thoroughfare battle. He denies the transgression links but acknowledges having taken portion successful "noble" fights. The revelations person not appeared to dent his enactment among right-wing voters, galore of whom spot the allegations arsenic politically motivated.

Amid rising information fears implicit Russia's warfare successful neighboring Ukraine, some candidates enactment assistance to Kyiv, though Nawrocki opposes NATO rank for Ukraine, portion Trzaskowski supports it successful the future.

Nawrocki's run has echoed themes fashionable connected the American right, including an accent connected accepted values. His supporters consciousness that Trzaskowski, with his pro-EU views, would manus implicit power of cardinal Polish affairs to larger European powers similar France and Germany.

Many European centrists are rooting for Trzaskowski, seeing successful him idiosyncratic who would support antiauthoritarian values nether unit from authoritarian forces crossed the globe.