Poland’s Incumbent President Bronislaw Komorowski has conceded election defeat to challenger Andrzej Duda following the release of exit polls.
The exit polls suggested conservative Andrzej Duda had taken the run-off vote by 53% to 47%.
Andrzej Duda had edged Bronislaw Komorowski, who had been the favorite, in the first round but did not gain the 50% needed to win outright.
Poland’s president has limited powers, but is head of the armed forces and can veto new laws.
The exit polls had been delayed after a woman died at a polling station on May 24.
Official results are expected on May 25.
Bronislaw Komorowski told voters at a gathering of his supporters: “I respect your choice.
“I wish my challenger a successful presidency.”
Speaking to supporters in Warsaw, Andrzej Duda said: “Thank you President Bronislaw Komorowski for the rivalry of this presidential campaign and for your congratulations.
“Those who voted for me voted for change. Together we can change Poland.”
The victory will be a wake-up call to PM Ewa Kopacz, an ally of Bronislaw Komorowski, ahead of parliamentary elections this autumn.
Bronislaw Komorowski, 62, took office five years ago after his predecessor, Lech Kaczynski, died in a plane crash.
He had been the favorite according to previous opinion polls and had been looking for a second term.
Andrzej Duda, 43, is from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, which is led by former President Lech Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw.
In the first round Andrzej Duda attracted most support in the more conservative eastern regions of the country, near the border with Ukraine and Belarus.
Polish voters are going to the polls on May 24 to choose its new president in a run-off vote.
In the first round on May 10, neither Conservative challenger Andrzej Duda nor incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski gained the 50% needed to win outright.
Andrzej Duda edged Bronislaw Komorowski, who had been the favorite and is looking for a second term, by 34.7% to 33.7%.
Poland’s president has limited powers, but is head of the armed forces and can veto new laws.
Bronislaw Komorowski, 62, took office five years ago after his predecessor, Lech Kaczynski, died in a plane crash.
The incumbent president is an independent allied with the centre-right Civic Platform, which has been in government since 2007.
Opinion polls before the first round had put him comfortably in the lead and Bronislaw Komorowski said the result was “a serious warning for the entire team in power”.
Andrezj Duda, 43, is from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, which is led by former President Lech Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw.
He attracted most support in the more conservative eastern regions of the country, near the border with Ukraine and Belarus.
The presidential vote comes ahead of parliamentary elections this autumn.
Poles are voting to elect the country’s president for the next five years.
Poland’s presidential elections on May 10 have a colorful cast of candidates whose antics are providing most of the drama, because there is little suspense about the result: incumbent President Bronislaw Komorowski expected to easily win a second term in office.
Opinion polls put Bronislaw Komorowski in the lead, but if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote there will be a second round.
Bronislaw Komorowski took office in 2010 after his predecessor, Lech Kaczynski, died in a plane crash.
The president has limited powers, but is head of the armed forces and can veto new laws.
Bronislaw Komorowski, 62, is an independent allied with the centre-right Civic Platform, which has been in government since 2007.
His main challenger is Andrzej Duda, from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, which is led by former President Lech Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw.
Rock musician Pawel Kukiz looks likely to gather protest votes, but has trailed the leading pair in opinion polls. Another eight candidates are standing.
During a period of tension with Russia over the unrest in Ukraine, President Bronislaw Komorowski says he has promoted stability.
The presidential vote comes ahead of parliamentary elections this autumn, and may give pointers to Civic Platform’s chances of retaining power.
If no candidate wins more than 50%, a second round will be held on May 24.
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski was attacked with an egg by a Ukrainian man when he visited the site of a 1943 massacre of Poles in neighboring Ukraine on Sunday, police said.
The egg attack followed a move by the Polish parliament last week to recognize the massacre by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two as “ethnic cleansing bearing the hallmarks of genocide”.
The move upset Ukrainian nationalists who view the UPA as heroes and freedom fighters.
On Sunday, Bronislaw Komorowski visited the western Volyn region and attended mass at a Catholic church.
President Bronislaw Komorowski was attacked with an egg by a Ukrainian man when he visited the site of a 1943 massacre of Poles in Ukraine
As he emerged from the church “a young man from the crowd tapped his shoulder with his hand in which he was holding a crushed egg”, police said in a statement.
The 21-year-old man, a resident of Ukraine s southern Zaporizhia region, has been detained and faces hooliganism charges and up to three years in prison, they said.
It was unclear whether the man belonged to any of Ukraine s nationalist groups, the largest of which, Svoboda (Freedom) won dozens of seats in parliament last year, becoming a major political force.
Svoboda has criticized the Polish parliament s decision but said it would not seek to disrupt Bronislaw Komorowski s visit.
The territory of Volyn was long disputed by Poland and Ukraine. Historians believe tens of thousands of people died in the massacre during the wartime Nazi occupation.
Seventy years later, public opinion in Ukraine remains split on the insurgent movements which co-operated with the Nazis in hope of driving out the Soviet government and creating an independent Ukrainian state.
In the last days of his presidency in 2010, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko awarded wartime nationalist leader Stepan Bandera the title “Hero of Ukraine”.
The award was annulled by a court under his successor, current President Viktor Yanukovich.
[youtube qLvOjFts9ug]
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
