Liberal mayor and conservative historian headed to presidential runoff in Poland, exit poll suggests

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Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and a conservative historian, Karol Nawrocki, emerged as the front-runners in Poland’s presidential election Sunday, according to an exit poll, putting them on track to face off in a second round in two weeks, AP reports.

A late exit poll by the Ipsos institute released early Monday showed Trzaskowski with an estimated 31.2% of the votes and Nawrocki with 29.7%. That suggested the runoff on June 1 could be very tight. Official results are expected on Monday or Tuesday.

Trzaskowski is a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who speaks foreign languages and holds pro-European Union views. His support is strongest in cities, where many like his secular views and support for LGBTQ+ rights.

Nawrocki is a conservative historian with no prior political experience who was backed by the national conservative Law and Justice party. The head of a state historical institute, he has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national sovereignty.

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