He declared himself a winner, then the bitter results came. Polish liberals disappointed the young
Trzaskowski lost the second time.
From Warsaw and Gdansk from our collaborator Branislav Ondrášik
When Donald Tusk He celebrated with his civic coalition and other opposition parties in October 2023 victory in the parliamentary elections, at the Ethnographic Museum in the center of Warsaw, the euphoria.
Also on Sunday at nine o’clock in the evening, almost two years later and in the same place, between hundreds Hundreds of fans of the liberal candidate Tusk’s party Rafał Truzaskowski was a great joy.
“We won” and “Rafał, Rafał”, chanted the crowd when the mayor of Warsaw came up and declared himself a winner Presidential elections.
The fact that this was an early step was already clear – Exit Poll showed only an extremely tight lead over the conservative candidates of the opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) Karol Nawrocký. An updated model, a little later, has already deleted a few tenths of percentage points and pushed the mayor of Warsaw behind his opponent.
Surreal night changed too quickly from the winning evening to a big disappointment. In the staff, however, Warsaw mayor enjoyed only the first feeling – then he did not show up.
In the article you can read:
- Why Trzaskowski declared himself a winner,
- What confidence has ruled in his staff,
- what his last meeting in Gdansk looked like,
- Why were the key young voters.
Joy was premature: Men declared women
The political thriller, who took place in the staff of a candidate of the civic coalition on Sunday evening, was the most closer to the presidential elections ten years ago. Tusk’s ally Bronisław Komorowski was then a big favorite for victory, but Exit Poll has already shown that he lost in a duel with conservative Andrzej Dud.
Now a similar situation has been repeated. For the first time in 15 years, IPSOS failed to correctly determine the winner of the Polish presidential election after closing the polling stations. The original difference between the candidates was only 0.6 percentage points, with a potential statistical error of 2 percent, too tight to make anyone sure of the victory.
The Rafal Trzaskowski staff did not hinder it. Neither others despite a tight survey They did not doubt their candidate’s victory.
« We won thanks to the mobilization of women, which was exceptional in these elections. We saw it in our campaign ‘Women for Elections’. The problems that women told us during these few months is a huge number – now we need to deal with them, » said the enthusiastically deputy Sejma from the premiere side of Małgorzata Gkokzzka.
He did not hurt him prostitutes or dubious apartment. Who is the new Polish President Nawrocki? Read
In the election evening, she had a red necklace, a reference to the color of the Polish flag, but also a symbol of the eccentric left -wing politician Joanny Senyszyn, who is fighting for women’s rights. « This victory will bring stability and get rid of the coalition of excuses and will bring it to the implementation of the obligations it has set before the elections, » she added.
Her joy and self -confidence very soon proved to be completely premature and as well as with President Women will have to wait for other reproductive rights in Poland. They voted mostly Trzaskowski, but it was not enough for men.
The controversial deputy of Sejma Roman Gietych also appeared in the Trzaskowski staff, where he was happy to give out interviews. In the past, Gietych was the leader of the extreme nationalist league of Polish families and ruled the PiS party, which supported Nawrocký. He does not conceal nationalist politics and won thanks to the voices of the far right.
However, Gietych gradually became The greatest enemy of Pis and its leader Jarosław Kaczynski. In the previous elections, he got into Parliament just for Tusk’s party, but there was already he lost his position as he voted against the decriminalization of abortion.
« Great thanks to the real author, co -author of this election success, ie Jarosław Kaczynski. I think it certainly made our victory easier.
At the same time, the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita wrote that if the government is looking for the culprit of the lost elections, it will also be Gietych.
Trzaskowski has little mobilized
The participation was also lower than originally expected and, according to the forecasts, the government candidate had to mobilize voters to exceed 72 percent. Finally, it fell below 71.6 percent, and although this was a record for the presidential election, it wasn’t enough for the liberal.
Trzaskowski tried to persuade voters at the final just before the elections a meeting in Gdansk, where thousands of people came. « I am very concerned about the growing power of the right, which destroys what we have built as a society-not only here in Poland, but throughout Europe, » says 63-year-old Ela Kinowska, who alternately lives in Poland and Canada.
A similar sentiment is repeated by a ten -year -old Polish German Gerald Boehnke, alternately speaks German, English and Polish. « We cannot go forward in this way. We can only go ahead with Europe, the Allies. We must help, for example Ukraine. Relationships must be good, ”he says and sees the opposite of the newly elected president, calls him a“ populist ”.
In Gdansk, the liberal gained more than 70 percent, despite the fact that Nawrocki comes from Gdansk.
Rafal’s election meeting in Gdansk. (Source: SME – Branislav Ondrášik)The young people turned his back again
However, who turned the liberal candidate most of their back, as in the first round, young voters were as in the first round. As Exit Polly showed – the difference in favor of a nationalist conservative was about six percentage points.
« Young people do not know the world yet. When they hear from someone, they come and change everything, that we get rich, that the EU is a burden and that we are better than others, they only hear what they want to hear, » says 20-year-old Olaf Wysocki from Gdansk, who believed in the last moment in the victory of its candidate.
In the center of Warsaw on Sunday evening, during the election night, these analyzes seemed distant. And although there was some nervousness before the announcement of Poll’s exit, as the reports penetrated the reports that the candidate of the anti -government opposition and the current president’s parties had a slight advantage, the first results – although incorrectly – reduced the tension in the room.
The young in white shirts celebrated, singing on stage and enthusiastically TRZASKowski surrounded. Everyone was sure that they won and that a bitter loss was not repeated five years ago. At that time, the hall was still able to accommodate a few hundred people, filled to the last place. Most people from the staff scattered within an hour and went home with the feeling that they succeeded for the second time.
The bitter results of the exit of Pollu no longer looked in person and watched the collapse of their hopes at home. Their candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, whose future at the peak of Polish politics, probably buried these elections for good, could also feel.
