Allegations of voting irregularities in Poland's presidential election spark controversy

The Polish elections, held connected nan first of June, resulted successful blimpish Karol Nawrocki beating wide Warsaw politician Rafał Trzaskowski by a very adjacent margin. Nawrocki won 50.89% of nan ballot against Trzaskowki's 49.11%. Polish politicians, namely from Trzaskowski's camp, person been asking for nan results to beryllium investigated.

Chief among these those expressing concerns is Rafał Trzaskowski's main of unit Wiola Paprocka, who wrote astir nan astonishing reversal of support successful nan 2nd information of nan statesmanlike predetermination successful immoderate commissions.

“We will interaction nan PKW [National Electoral Comission] to explain each of these cases,” Paprocka announced connected Twitter. Her connection included 4 polling stations astatine which reports of irregularities person travel to light.

Due to suspected irregularities, Paprocka appealed for electoral protests to beryllium revenge pinch nan Supreme Court.

In 1 position successful nan metropolis of Kraków, Trzaskowski won successful nan first information of elections, winning pinch 550 votes. Nawrocki, connected nan different hand, came successful 3rd place, aft nan Warsaw awesome and difficult correct campaigner Sławomir Mentzen. In nan run-off, however, Nawrocki received nan astir votes, according to nan charismatic count, prompting questions astir nan results of nan count.

An investigation into nan lawsuit is being carried retired by nan territory electoral committee successful Krakow. Krakow City Council president Jakub Kosek wrote successful a station connected societal media that nan votes had been incorrectly entered into nan minutes.

"From what we cognize today, a correction was made successful nan minutes - and nan results of nan candidates were swapped," - Kosek emphasised.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski expressed that he was amazed by specified "mistakes". "I americium counting connected this to beryllium clarified, because arsenic I myself looked astatine nan results," he said.

"We person ne'er had specified cases successful nan past," he added.

Protesting nan results

The National Electoral Commission (PKW) seperately addressed nan matter. Responding to a petition for remark from Euronews, PKW representatives stated that immoderate irregularities must beryllium reported to Poland's Supreme Court by nan 16th of June.

"Currently, nan results of nan territory voting tin only beryllium verified by nan Supreme Court successful relationship pinch nan information of predetermination protests," they told Euronews.

'To superior a matter to brushwood it aside'

A spokesperson for nan Polish Peasants' Party (which is presently portion of Donald Tusk's ruling coalition) and long-time personnel of nan electoral commissions Miłosz Motyka emphasized successful an question and reply pinch Euronews that nan issues of irregularities successful nan ballot count should beryllium cautiously checked.

"There should not beryllium a business where, having respective members of nan electoral committee from different governmental formations, from municipalities, from metropolis halls, we person a business wherever a consequence that affects nan last consequence [of nan predetermination - ed.] is wrongly recorded successful nan minutes", he said.

"This is excessively superior a matter to simply brushwood aside. That is why immoderate of this accusation should beryllium verified and ever nan PKW should besides behaviour due proceedings pinch nan committee chairman. The purpose present is really to verify irregularities", he added.

Law and Justice: 'This is to create a story of nan triumph that was to beryllium taken away'

Law and Justice MP Radosław Fogiel, pointed retired successful an question and reply pinch Euronews that it is modular process to analyse irregularities. However, he emphasized that he is captious of nan actions of immoderate members of nan ruling coalition.

"Here, unfortunately, we are starting to woody pinch an organised action and nan creation of a full communicative of alleged falsification" he said, adding that "the Civic Platform milieu" is "formulating these kinds of theses and this is simply a superior and vulnerable matter".

"If I had to conjecture why personification would do this, assuming that location is simply a method successful this madness and that it is not conscionable nan consequence of governmental paranoia, I would opportunity that it is to service nan intent of creating a story astir nan triumph that was to beryllium claimed", Fogiel told Euronews.

OSCE ngo takes banal of nan elections

Observers representing nan associated ngo of nan OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and nan Parliamentary Assembly of nan Council of Europe said successful a connection that nan elections were conducted "professionally and efficiently". In their view, state of expression, relation and serene assembly were respected successful some rounds. However, they drew attraction to media bias arsenic good arsenic irregularities successful run financing.

Karol Nawrocki won nan 2nd information of nan statesmanlike predetermination by a quality of 369,451 votes, aliases by 1.19 percent points. This is nan smallest ballot quality betwixt nan candidates since 1990.