The first round of Poland’s presidential election, held on Sunday, yielded no definitive result. Ahead of the second round, Marcin Romanowski, the head of the Hungarian–Polish Institute of Freedom, spoke to our newspaper about what is at stake for Poland.

These presidential elections are, above all, about Poland’s security and sovereignty in the face of growing political and economic pressure from Brussels and Berlin—including the pressure to accept illegal migrants. This is far more than a contest between two candidates,
– hangsúlyozta Romanowski. Mr. Romanowski emphasized.
Over the past year and a half, the left-liberal government of Donald Tusk has systematically dismantled the institutions of the rule of law and subordinated them to foreign interests. “The aim,” he added, “is full integration into a European superstate dominated by Germany, at the expense of Poland’s national interests.”
According to Poland's former deputy justice minister, the same scenario is being prepared for Hungary.
I see clear parallels: Peter Magyar — Manfred Weber’s political project — has openly stated that he intends to ‘do what Tusk did in Poland.'
“This is a regional playbook,” Mr. Romanowski warned, “in which local politicians, backed by Brussels and networks linked to George Soros, are united in one goal: seizing power and placing their countries under the centralized control of Brussels.”
In Poland, we are already seeing the public prosecutor’s office and the security apparatus being used not only against opposition politicians, but against anyone who dares to contradict the liberal mainstream. There is an unprecedented media campaign based on distortion and manipulation,
– he said, adding that this election is now the last obstacle preventing Poland from falling completely under foreign influence.
As neither candidate secured the necessary number of votes, a second round will be held on June 1. Despite the unprecedented manipulation and the media and institutional advantages held by the government, Karol Nawrocki, supported by the Law and Justice party (PiS), achieved a very strong result in the first round, Mr. Romanowski said.
This shows that Poles are becoming increasingly aware of the scale of the threat. They now see that they were deceived in the fall of 2023, when Donald Tusk, under the banner of ‘rule of law’ and ‘European values,’ seized power, began purging institutions, attacking the opposition, and handing over the country’s governance to Brussels bureaucrats
– he highlighted.
In the second round, we expect a very aggressive, brutal, and dirty campaign
– Mr. Romanowski said.