The virtual guest talk will assess the results of the May 18 first round of Poland’s presidential election. It is unlikely that any candidate will secure a majority, leading to a runoff on June 1 between Rafał Trzaskowski and PiS-backed Nawrocki. The vote reveals a fragmented political landscape, breaking the traditional PO–PiS dominance, with left-wing candidates collectively gaining notable support while far-right candidates perform poorly. The second round will likely hinge on ideological divides. If Trzaskowski wins, it could finally unlock key reforms long blocked by the outgoing PiS-aligned president. Monika Sus is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw, Poland), and a Fellow at the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Her research interests focus on international relations, with a particular emphasis on European and transatlantic security cooperation, and the EU’s foreign, security, and defence policy. She recently published an article in the The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, exploring the Polish reaction to the war in Ukraine: Status-seeking in wartime: Poland’s leadership aspirations and the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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