Outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda has sharply criticised opposition politicians who continue to question the result of Poland’s presidential election, urging them to “sober up a bit” and accept the will of the voters.
In an interview with Telewizja wPolsce24, Duda addressed figures such as Roman Giertych and other members of the Civic Coalition who have sought to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the vote.
“I calmly and consistently tell these gentlemen, first of all, that it is Poles who define democracy with their votes, their participation, and in fact shape and draw this democracy in this way. Thanks to this, it exists, that they go to the elections, vote, and choose.
“These decisions are often variable in relation to how they decided previously. Precisely because they evaluate how someone behaved as the one to whom they entrusted power in the Republic of Poland. And this is characteristic of democracy, and it is good that the power in Poland is changing, but they cannot accept it,” Duda said.
He accused the opposition of refusing to accept electoral defeats and of insulting voters. “How many times they don’t win the elections, so many times they can’t accept it, they say how bad Poles are, they allow themselves to insult people, various impertinent texts insulting voters. I call for a bit of sobering up to these politicians, or maybe it’s enough to simply address the voters – please pay attention to who behaves like this and please next time don’t elect these people, because they are not fit for democracy, they are not mature enough for it,” he said.
Poland’s Supreme Court has now confirmed the result of the June presidential election, one of the most hotly contested in the country’s recent history. The Court reviewed more than 53,000 protests alleging voting irregularities before validating the victory of conservative Karol Nawrocki, who defeated liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski by just 369,591 votes in the runoff.
Donald Tusk had initially backed calls to investigate the election result after his preferred candidate, Trzaskowski, narrowly lost. Tusk’s comments suggested lingering suspicion towards the result, saying, “Aren’t you, Mr. Duda, Mr. Nawrocki, and Mr. Kaczyński, just a little curious about the real result? As everyone knows, honest people have nothing to fear.” However, he later backtracked on his remarks, acknowledging that while irregularities had occurred, they did not influence the result. “In my view, the irregularities did not change the overall outcome,” Tusk said.
Nawrocki’s presidency is expected to present significant obstacles for Tusk’s liberal government. The presidential veto in Poland is a powerful tool that can only be overturned by a super-majority in the Sejm, something Tusk’s coalition currently lacks. Nawrocki has already made clear his intention to resist Tusk’s agenda and has adopted a combative stance on key issues, including migration.
“Poles will not let themselves be taken away, neither democracy, nor freedom, nor independence. That is who we are. We won the great battle, now we start the hard work,” Nawrocki said last month following his victory.
He has also spoken out against Germany’s migration policies, especially in light of recent reports that German authorities have been sending illegal migrants back into Poland. “I do not agree with the current migration policy of the European Union, and I do not intend, as President of the Republic of Poland, to tolerate the fact that Germans want to handle their affairs by putting the safety of our women and children at risk,” he said.
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