Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, the presidential candidate for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition, is currently on a European tour to showcase his international expertise, according to Euractiv.
After attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where he met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trzaskowski is set to visit Finland and Brussels. In Finland, he will meet with President Alexander Stubb and study the country’s highly regarded civil defence system. In Brussels, he is scheduled to hold talks with EU commissioners.
The meetings are seen as a strategic move to bolster Trzaskowski’s campaign, as his party strategists aim to reinforce his image as a leader ready to assume the Polish presidency and adept at handling major international issues in line with Poland’s interests.
During a campaign rally on 13 February, Trzaskowski announced a “security pact,” describing it as “an agreement between all political forces on the most important issues” that must be adopted immediately. He also pledged to convene the national security council every 60 days if elected president.
Domestic focus for other candidates
While Trzaskowski focuses on international engagement, other presidential candidates are concentrating their campaigns on domestic visits. Karol Nawrocki of the Law and Justice (PiS) party recently aligned with the US administration’s stance that Ukraine should not be admitted to NATO in the near future.
Meanwhile, YouTube journalist Krzysztof Stanowski, who announced his candidacy last month, faced a low turnout at his campaign congress in Łódź over the weekend. Stanowski insisted he did not want to be president but was running to provide an insider’s perspective on the campaign.
Trzaskowski currently leads the presidential race, with the latest Opinia24 poll showing that one in three Poles plan to vote for him. Nawrocki trails in second place with 24% support, followed by Sławomir Mentzen of the Confederation Liberty and Independence (Konfederacja) at 15%.
Rafał Trzaskowski’s European tour underscores his campaign’s emphasis on international credibility and security, setting him apart from his competitors as the election approaches.
