“Boxer triumphs in the second round” – this is how the weekly Der Spiegel titles its commentary on the presidential elections in Poland. According to commentator Jan Puhl, Karol Nawrocki’s victory is a “catastrophe” from the perspective of Donald Tusk’s government. German media – as cited by Deutsche Welle (DW) – are filled with critical voices towards Poland’s new leader and express concern over the challenges Berlin may face in pursuing its policy toward Poland under the new political reality.
Germany Smears Nawrocki and Laments Tusk’s Fate
Puhl argues: “Tusk needs a head of state who is favourable to him in order to govern effectively, and above all to dismantle the legacy of eight years of PiS rule. Jarosław Kaczyński’s party systematically appropriated the state and also attempted to take control of the independent judiciary.” In other words, nothing new: the bad PiS and the European Tusk.
Puhl predicts that the new president will use the veto power to block “Tusk’s reformist course,” just as Andrzej Duda did previously.
Commentator Viktoria Grossmann of Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) emphasizes that with Rafał Trzaskowski, Donald Tusk’s conservative-liberal-leftist government would have had “a chance to reverse the judicial reforms of the previous PiS government and depoliticize the courts and prosecution service.” Grossmann notes that Nawrocki successfully appealed to younger voters – many of whom had supported other right-wing candidates in the first round.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), in a commentary titled “A President of Questionable Reputation”, echoes the rhetoric of Poland’s left-liberal media and writes that the Polish election was preceded by a “political thriller.” According to FAZ, Karol Nawrocki won due to the high voter turnout – 71.6%. FAZ also states that Trzaskowski “tried to win over voters from the right-conservative spectrum by supporting decisions such as suspending the right to asylum or limiting social benefits for Ukrainian refugees,” which cost him support in his own base.
Additionally, according to commentator Stefan Locke, many voters are disappointed with Donald Tusk’s government, which “in the opinion of many supporters, is too indecisive to implement the promised reform policy, restore the rule of law, and punish corrupt PiS politicians.”