Poland swears in new president Karol Nawrocki

Poland's new right-wing, opposition-aligned president, Karol Nawrocki, has been sworn in to office in a ceremony in Poland's parliament.

During his speech, the new president, who will serve a five-year term, declared that he would be “the voice of those who want a sovereign Poland that is in the EU, but a Poland that is not the EU, that will remain Poland”.

He also warned that Poland “can no longer be an economic subsidiary of our western neighbors or of the EU as a whole” and said that he “will never agree to the EU taking away Poland's competences”.

Like his outgoing predecessor, Andrzej Duda , Nawrocki is aligned with the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, setting the stage for further clashes between the presidency and Prime Minister Donald Tusk's more liberal government in the coming years.

During his speech to parliament today, Nawrocki criticized the current administration for “regularly violating the constitutional article stating that the authorities must act within the scope of the law.” He called for a “return to the rule of law”.

Nawrocki has also taken a tougher line on Ukraine than both Duda and Tusk's government, including declaring opposition to its proposed EU and NATO membership. That suggests that relations with Kyiv may also now become more tense.

However, Nawrocki is, like Duda, likely to enjoy strong relations with the Trump administration, which supported him during the campaign .

Nawrocki – a complete political novice who has never previously stood for elected office – claimed a stunning victory in June's presidential election. For almost the entire race he had trailed his rival, Rafał Trzaskowski of Tusk's centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, in the polls.

In the final run-off vote between the pair, Nawrocki, who until now had served as head of the state Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), won by the smallest margin in Polish presidential election history, taking 50.9% to Trzaskowski's 49.1%.

Some within Tusk's ruling coalition had sought to question the legitimacy of Nawrocki's victory, pointing to irregularities in vote-counting and the questionable legal status of the Supreme Court chamber tasked with validating the election result.

However, the prime minister and members of his cabinet attended today's swearing-in ceremony. Beforehand, Tusk noted that as prime minister he has in the past co-existed with two PiS-aligned presidents, Duda and Lech Kaczyński, and declared that “we'll manage” with Nawrocki.

During his address to parliament today, Nawrocki condemned “the propaganda, lies and contempt I encountered on my way to the presidency.” But, he added, “as a Christian, I forgive this contempt.” He also invited Tusk to a meeting this month “to discuss key investments and the state of public finances”.

Polish presidents generally play little role in the day-to-day governance of the country and have relatively limited powers. However, they are able to veto legislation passed by parliament, a powerful tool that Duda used on a number of occasions ( including on his final day in office ) to tymie Tusk's agenda.

Presidents can also propose legislation to parliament and, ahead of Nawrocki's inauguration, the incoming head of his chancellery, PiS politician Zbigniew Bogucki, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) about a series of bills that the new president planned to submit during his first days in office.

They will include a proposal to end income tax for families with two or more children, one intended to “protect Polish agriculture” (in particular from a proposed EU trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc), and one relating to the construction of a major new airport and transport hub in central Poland.

In many areas, Nawrocki is likely to oppose the Tusk government's agenda, including its efforts to undo the former PiS administration's judicial reforms and its plans to liberalize the abortion law (although the ruling coalition itself has struggled to find an agreement on the latter issue).

However, in June, shortly after his victory, the president-elect did outline issues on which he would be willing to work with the government, including national security, raising the tax-free income threshold, and introducing rights for unmarried partners.

On Ukraine, Nawrocki has also made clear that, like the government, he wants Poland to continue “supporting Ukraine from a strategic and geopolitical point of view” because “Russia is the biggest threat to the entire region.”

In his speech today, Nawrocki also pledged to “protect Poland's position in NATO” and to “strive to make the Polish army the strongest force in the EU”. Bolstering Poland's defense capabilities and security more broadly is likely to be another area in which Nawrocki, like Duda, will be able to cooperate with Tusk's government.

Main image credit: Marek Borawski/KPRP