Just like in many other places in both Europe and the USA, it's a bit of city versus countryside as it's holding the first round of its presidential election today. The polling stations opened at seven.
In the capital Warsaw, Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski looks confident from an election poster with the text "Poland forward!". The candidate from the ruling party Civic Platform (PO) almost became president in 2020, not least thanks to votes from mainly young and urban residents.
On the more conservative countryside, many instead support Karol Nawrocki from the old ruling party Law and Justice (PIS). He has been received by Donald Trump at the White House and would like to do the same.
Poland first. Poles first, Nawrocki urges in a campaign video, with demands for tougher measures against the many Ukrainians who have moved to Poland.
Stronger Government?
The duo is generally tipped to come first and second in Sunday's first round and if so, they will meet in a final round in two weeks, with Trzaskowski as a narrow favorite.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his government hope for Trzaskowski to more easily fulfill election promises, such as increased equality and abortion rights.
Even in Brussels, many thumbs are likely to be held for the PO candidate following years of court battles and disputes with the previous PIS government.
"A Trzaskowski victory secures Poland as a growing European power, focused on strengthening the EU, defense cooperation, and regional stability," writes Marta Prochwicz from the think tank ECFR in a dispatch.
PIS, in turn, hopes that the presidential election will be the first step towards a return to government power.
Conservative Struggle
It is clear that Poland is strongly conservative. In EU contexts, PO and PIS belong to a conservative party group. And the likely third in the election, multimillionaire Slawomir Mentzen, stands even further to the right and has campaigned over the years for death penalty and imprisonment for women who have abortions.
After many years of constant strife between PO and PIS, many see Mentzen as a breath of fresh air.
He is not like the others. He has never sat in government and we are tired of the eternal wars between the two main parties, says 21-year-old IT student Pawel to Euractiv.
Donald Trump seems to have his favorite clear.
You're going to win! the American president is said to have said to Nawrocki during the visit to the White House.
Poland votes on Sunday in the first round of this year's presidential election. If no candidate directly gets more than 50 percent of the votes, the two best will proceed to a decisive second round on June 1.
Although power largely lies with the prime minister and government, the president has some influence over foreign policy and also the possibility to stop and block legislation, if there is no two-thirds majority.
