“It was unnecessary, though one can look at it from a human perspective – he enjoyed it for a few hours, and that’s it. If he had started worrying right after the exit poll that put him in the lead, he would have missed out on that brief moment of joy,” – that’s how former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski assessed Rafał Trzaskowski’s speech following the publication of exit polls.
Although the exit polls showed a very narrow margin between the two candidates and gave Rafał Trzaskowski a slight and likely illusory lead, the Civic Coalition (KO) candidate had no qualms about declaring himself the new president.
First, just before midnight, the late poll results indicated a win for Karol Nawrocki. But the next morning brought a cold shower for Trzaskowski and his team. Social media users quickly began flooding the internet with memes about Trzaskowski’s “two-hour presidency” – from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Sunday, June 1st.
Former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski didn’t help Trzaskowski’s case either.
In an interview with RMF FM, he admitted he was “not surprised” by the final result. When asked about Trzaskowski’s reaction to the exit polls, he responded:
“It was unnecessary, though from a human point of view, you can understand it – he allowed himself a few hours of joy, and that’s it. If he had started worrying right after the exit poll that showed him in the lead, he would have lost that short-lived happiness.”
After his defeat, Trzaskowski addressed the public on social media, thanking his voters and campaign staff, apologizing for the loss, and congratulating Karol Nawrocki.