Poland’s Nationalist President Narrowly Wins Reelection

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President Andrzej Duda kisses the hand of his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, in Pultusk, Poland, on Sunday night. Duda won reelection by a narrow margin.

Czarek Sokolowski/AP

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Czarek Sokolowski/AP

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Presidential candidate and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski flashes a victory sign at the end of election day in Warsaw.

Petr David Josek/AP

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Petr David Josek/AP

Presidential candidate and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski flashes a victory sign at the end of election day in Warsaw.

Petr David Josek/AP

During Duda’s first term, Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party passed legislation, which he supported, weakening the country’s independent judiciary. The government has also used Poland’s popular state broadcaster, ostensibly independent, as a mouthpiece for its policies.

The European Union, which Poland joined in 2004, has been harshly critical of what it regards as violations of democratic norms. Two years ago the European Parliament declared that the situation in Poland «represents a ‘clear risk of a serious breach’ of EU values, including the rule of law. The vote triggered an inquiry that could ultimately lead to Poland losing its voting rights in the European Council.

A major topic of the presidential campaign was the country’s LGBTQ community. Duda warned that Poland’s children were at risk from «an imported ‘LGBT ideology,’ according to the BBC. As mayor of Warsaw, Trzaskowski had marched in Pride parades, though he opposed adoption by same-sex couples.

State television accused Trzaskowski of being under the sway of LGBTQ activists and Jewish interests, reviving Poland’s fraught history of anti-Semitism.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is also at odds with the EU for his increasingly authoritarian style of governing, congratulated Duda on his victory, according to Reuters. Orbán posted his and Duda’s photos on Facebook with the caption, «Bravo!