Tobacco pouches and punch-ups: The Polish presidential election becomes personal

The moderate front-runner in Sunday’s tense presidential election in Poland claims that Poles are well-informed about him, in contrast to the numerous media reports about his nationalist rival’s purported past behavior.

At a rally in the southern Polish town of Chrzanow on Tuesday, Rafal Trzaskowski, a member of the ruling Civic Coalition, stated, “The President of the Republic of Poland cannot be someone about whom we learn something every day that not only puzzles us, but often terrifies us.”

Whether it’s allegations that he participated in planned fights or inquiries about how he bought an apartment from a retiree, opposition Law and Justice candidate Karol Nawrocki’s history has dominated public discourse.

“All my sports activities were based on the strength of my heart, the strength of my muscles, my fists,” historian and amateur boxer Nawrocki stated during a debate in response to allegations that he had participated in large-scale organized clashes between football hooligans.

“It was a fair competition, regardless of the form.”

Previously, he had denied any wrongdoing in connection with allegations that he had lied about owning the apartment, a second property, and that he had purchased it from the old man in exchange for a care guarantee that he had not fulfilled.

After being questioned about the matter, he dismissed what he called “media lies” and declared that he would donate the apartment to a charity.

Additionally, Nawrocki was criticized for putting a “snus” tobacco pouch under his lip during a live debate; according to an Opinia24 study conducted for private broadcaster TVN, 53% of participants had a negative opinion of this.

Supporters of his Law and Justice party have charged that the administration is plotting the scandals with the assistance of Poland’s liberal media and special services. The administration denies these charges.

Concerns have been raised about whether Trzaskowski violated campaign expenditure laws with a string of ads that attacked his rivals. He also says he has done nothing wrong.

If he prevails, the Polish government will have the opportunity to carry out more reforms that will align it with EU standards on matters such as LGBT rights and judicial independence.

If Nawrocki is elected, he is likely to stop them with his veto, just like the present president has done, claiming that Poland should adopt a conservative stance modeled after that of U.S. President Donald Trump.

NUMBERS OF POLL

Nawrocki’s polling numbers seem to be mostly unaffected by the barrage of negative news, with Trzaskowski’s lead remaining within the margin of error.

99% of voters who supported Nawrocki in the first round would do so again in the second, according to a CBOS survey.

According to Polish Academy of Science sociologist Andrzej Rychard, many Law and Justice voters rejected the accusations as false or concluded that “even if it is true, it still does not bother me” because of the extreme polarization in Polish politics.

In addition, Rychard claimed that Nawrocki had presented himself as a driven individual from a lowly background.

“He comes rather from the bottom, that is, from difficult environments, which does not necessarily have to be a source of antipathy, on the contrary, it may be well-received by a large part of the electorate, who do not identify with the elite.”

Warsaw Mayor Trzaskowski is described by Nawrocki’s campaign as an out-of-touch urban liberal who is insensitive to the needs of common Poles. They have made fun of his proficiency in five foreign languages by calling him “Bazur,” which is a Polonized version of the French phrase “bonjour.”

For Trzaskowski’s followers, however, Nawrocki’s accusations render him wholly unfit to hold the country’s top job.

The 68-year-old market trader Stanislaw, who would not provide his last name, stated, “He has no idea about politics,” and he reiterated some of the accusations made in the media stories to explain his lack of faith.

A contrasting stance was taken by Jacek, a 73-year-old retiree who likewise chose not to reveal his last name.

“He is a patriot, kind to people, an honest person, a strong person, which is exactly what we are missing,” added the politician.

According to Nawrocki, “young people do those kinds of things” when asked about his involvement in fights.