Karol Nawrocki, the right-wing candidate in Poland’s upcoming presidential -pledgeelection, has said he will not allow Ukrainian competition to harm Polish farmers if elected to the country’s top office.
Nawrocki, speaking on Sunday, March 30th, promised his support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, but not at the cost of his own country: “When I am president of Poland, I will not agree to Polish farmers, Polish agricultural holdings or Polish transport companies suffering as a result of unfair competition from Ukraine.”
The sovereignist candidate re-affirmed his ‘Poland first’ attitude to his voters, stating: “Let Ukraine be strong enough to deal with Russia. But not at the cost of Polish agriculture.” Brussels handing out unfair advantages to Ukraine has him “concerned.”
Nawrocki was critical of the European Union’s strategy for supporting Ukraine, saying the EU “now needs reform.” The independent candidate, who is supported by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, fired shots at liberal prime minister Donald Tusk, accusing him of laying down Polish interests at the feet of Brussels: “I am not, as a candidate for the office of President, ready to hand over control of the Polish army to [European Commission president] Ursula von der Leyen.”
With regard to the war in Ukraine, Nawrocki has gone against the mainstream narrative and is opposed to Ukraine being accepted into the EU and NATO.
He has also called the EU’s climate policies an “existential and fundamental” threat to Poland’s economy and sovereignty.
Nawrocki, who is currently the head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), is projected to get 23% of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections on May 18th. His main rival, the liberal mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski, is expected to get 34%. The second round, held if no candidate receives a majority of the first-round votes, will be held on June 1st.
