Warsaw Mayor and Civic Platform Vice-Chair Rafał Trzaskowski declared his readiness to run in Poland's upcoming presidential election. "The question keeps coming up: am I ready to run for president? Well, I am ready, and I won’t give up," Trzaskowski said on Tuesday (November 5), emphasizing that the Civic Coalition must first confirm its candidate for the race.
Trzaskowski made this statement during an evening event in Aleksandrów Łódzki, adding: "In 2020, I made a commitment on behalf of all of you. We have certain conditions to fulfill, but above all, we have much to make up for." He underscored his willingness to run if his colleagues within the Civic Coalition (KO) nominate him as their candidate.
Poland’s presidential election
The election is set for spring next year, with current president Andrzej Duda’s term ending in August 2025. Most parties have yet to announce their candidates.
Donald Tusk recently told Gazeta Wyborcza that the Civic Coalition will reveal its candidate on December 7, noting it would be someone who spoke at the recent KO convention without specifying further. At this convention, speakers included Tusk, Trzaskowski, Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Minister of Family Aleksandra Gajewska, and Minister for European Union Affairs Adam Szłapka.
In August, the prime minister stated he did not intend to run but that Trzaskowski was a likely candidate.
For the Left, MEP and co-leader of the New Left, Robert Biedroń, mentioned that the party leadership will likely choose between Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk and Deputy Senate Speaker Magdalena Biejat. Biedroń indicated a decision by year-end, with an announcement expected in early January.
Other party candidates
The Law and Justice party (PiS) has not yet made its choice, postponing an announcement initially expected around November 10-11 by two or three weeks. Potential candidates include IPN [Institute of National Remembrance - ed.] President Karol Nawrocki, MEP and former Warsaw mayoral candidate Tobiasz Bocheński, former Minister of Education Przemysław Czarnek, and former Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
The Polish People’s Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 have also yet to decide on candidates. Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia is rumored as a possible nominee for Poland 2050 or as a joint candidate for the Third Way coalition (PSL and Poland 2050), though he has not confirmed his candidacy.
New Hope party leader Sławomir Mentzen will run on behalf of the Confederation.
Independent MP Marek Jakubiak from the Free Republicans caucus has also expressed his intention to join the race.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: PAP/Marian Zubrzycki