Conservative president to take over in Poland

Andrzej Duda, the candidate from the conservative Law and Justice party, won Poland’s presidential elections on May 24, defeating incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski, who served a five-year term. Duda earned 52 percent of the vote compared to 48 percent for Komorowski, who belongs to the center-right Civic Platform party. Among Duda’s key campaign positions was criticizing Komorowski and his Civic Platform party for accommodating the EU too much, resulting in Polish assets being bought up by western Europeans and millions of Polish workers leaving for western Europe. The Civic Platform has had a parliamentary majority since 2007.

Zenon Zawada: The Polish presidency is largely symbolic, but Duda’s victory reflects a turning tide in Poland towards Euro-skepticism. Unlike the Euro-skepticism in Greece and France, which has aligned itself with the Russians, Poland’s Euro-skepticism consists of a tougher position against Russia and closer ties with eastern European countries, particularly Ukraine. The election was a win-win for Ukraine, but Duda could become an even stronger advocate for Ukrainian concerns.