Presidential elections will be held in Poland on 18 May 2025. If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on 1 June 2025.[1] Incumbent president Andrzej Duda is ineligible for re-election, as he is term-limited.
The President of Poland is elected for a five-year term using the two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a run-off is held between the top two candidates. Presidents serve a five-year term and can be re-elected once. The second term of Andrzej Duda expires on 6 August 2025, and the president-elect will take the oath of office on that day, before the National Assembly (a joint session of the Sejm and the Senate).
The ruling coalition was composed of mostly centrist or slightly right leaning parties. However, the New Left also being part of the cabinet, postulated voting to decriminalize abortion. The Sejm rejected the proposal in July 2024. Facing opposition within the ruling coalition of a large section of the Polish People's Party, the vote failed with 218 votes against and 215 for decriminalization.[8]
Group of citizens willing to register a candidate in the election must establish an electoral committee (Polish: komitet wyborczy) of at least 15 members, and submit a notice to the National Electoral Commission supported with 1,000 citizens' signatures.[35] To register a candidate, an electoral committee must present to the PKW 99,000 more endorsement signatures.[36] On 11 April 2025, the following committees and candidates have applied for registration:[37][38][39]
Speculation swiftly began on whether PiS would replace Nawrocki when it was revealed that he had contact with a future criminal as part of his time as a boxer two decades prior, for which he was constantly attacked by opposing politicians.[44] Polling showed, however, that the vast plurality of people did not expect Nawrocki to be replaced.[45]
In the lead-up to the election much controversy arouse, when a portion of the party subsidy was withheld from Law and Justice. The issue emerged, after the National Electoral Commission ruled the party's financial report for the 2023 parliamentary campaign, and consequently its 2023 annual report, to be flawed. As a result, both the campaign dotation and the annual subsidy were reduced by approximately 11millionPLN. The ruling was appealed to the Supreme Court, where the Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs Chamber decided in favour of the party. This legally bound the Commission to change its verdict, which happened on 30 December 2024. However, as the legitimacy of this particular Supreme Court chamber has been questioned by the ruling government and CJEU due to the ongoing rule of law crisis since 2017, the Minister of FinanceAndrzej Domański refused to transfer the disputed funds.[46][47][48]
PiS launched the "Electoral Protection Movement" (Polish: Ruch Ochrony Wyborów), operated primarily by former Minister of EducationPrzemysław Czarnek,[49] with the intention of safeguarding the democratic conduct of the election and protecting it from electoral fraud, stating that the governing majority is already altering and manipulating electoral law.[50][51]
During the campaign, both Trzaskowski and Nawrocki campaigned along the right wing of politics; Trzaskowski proposed to limit welfare programs for non-workingUkrainian refugees[52] which was proposed in the Sejm by Law and Justice on 20 January to "check" the genuinity of Trzaskowski's proposal,[53] meanwhile Nawrocki accused the ruling coalition of sexualizing children, demonstratively throwing a copy of Gender Queer: A Memoir into a paper shredder.[54]
On 13 February 2025, Nawrocki was endorsed by Solidarity - Poland's largest trade union - as he, amongst other promises, pledged not to raise the age of retirement (in contrast to Prime Minister Tusk raising it by 2 years for men and 7 years for women during his first tenure[55]) and defending the minimum wage.[56] At the party conference on 2 March, Nawrocki declared the election a "referendum on rejecting Tusk".[57]
Journalist Krzysztof Stanowski, himself a candidate, held interviews with the other candidates.[58] Several debates were organized: TVP, TVN, and Polsat declared they will jointly hold a debate of all the candidates.[59]TV Republika announced a debate on 14 April, inviting all candidates registered at the time except for Marek Woch, though Trzaskowski and Magdalena Biejat declined the invitation.[60]
On 11 April 2025, two chaotic[61][62][63][64] debates took place in Końskie. One, organized by TV Republika together with wPolsce24, and Telewizja Trwam, happened 18:50 at the market square, where 5 candidates (Hołownia, Jakubiak, Nawrocki, Senyszyn, Stanowski) appeared.[62] Another one, organized by Trzaskowski's committee, with questions from journalists of TVP, TVN, and Polsat, which all broadcast the event, started at a sports hall when candidates from the former debate joined Biejat, Maciak and Trzaskowski.[61] The former was initiated in opposition to the latter event,[65] whose organization started on 9 April,[63] - and where Trzaskowski invited other candidates than Nawrocki only 100 minutes before its planned beginning.[61] The National Broadcasting Council accused TVP and TVN of supporting the Trzaskowski campaign, and TV Republika of supporting Nawrocki.[66]
Submitting to the National Electoral Commission candidates for the Presidency of the Republic of Poland
from 4 April 2025 until 15 May 2025
Submitting by voters requests to:
issue the certificate confirming the right to vote in the place of residence on election day,
change the voting location,
Submitting by soldiers performing basic military service or those performing military training and policemen serving in quarted units, officers of the State Security Service, the Border Guards, the State Fire Service and the Prison Service serving in quarted units, requests to change the voting location
from 4 April 2025 until 15 May 2025
Local voting commissions are to be constituted
Foreign voting districts and polling stations abroad are to be announced
until 14 April 2025
Establishment of polling districts in medical facilities, social welfare facilities, penal institutions and detention centers, as well as in extramural departments of these establishments, dormitories and complexes of dormitories, as well as determination of their boundaries, consecutive number, as well as their locations
until 18 April 2025
Providing public information on the consecutive numbers and boundaries of polling districts, as well as location of district electoral commissions, including premises adapted to the needs of disabled persons, as well as the possibility of postal voting and proxy voting,
Submission of requests to establish polling districts aboard Polish ships by captains of ships,
Nomination of candidates to district electoral commission by agents of election committees
Broadcast without payment of the election programmes, prepared by election committees by means of public radio and television broadcasters
Date
Event description
until 5 May 2025
Notice of the intention to vote by correspondence by disabled voters, including by means of overlays on ballot papers in Braille alphabet, and by voters who are 60 years of age or older on the day of voting,
notice of the intention to exercise the right to free transportation to the polling station or free return transportation by disabled voters and by voters who are 60 years of age or older on the day of voting, in a commune where on the election day there is no communal passenger transport
until 8 May 2025
Providing public information on the organization of free transportation in communes, rural or urban-rural communes, on the day referred to in the art. 37f § 1 of the Electoral Code
until 9 May 2025
Submitting requests to draw up the power of attorney to vote by disabled voters and those who are 60 years of age or older on the day of voting
until 13 May 2025
Submitting requests to be entered in the roll of voters in polling districts established abroad by voters staying abroad,
Submitting requests to be entered in the roll of voters in polling districts established on Polish ships by voters present aboard those ships
until 15 May 2025
Information for disabled voters and voters who are 60 years of age or older on the day of voting, who have noticed of their intention to exercise their right to transportation to the polling station, about the timing of transportation on the voting day
^ abIndependent; endorsed by the party or the political alliance.
^The President of Poland traditionally resigns from party membership after taking office. Although Duda was officially an independent, his 2020 campaign was endorsed and funded by Law and Justice.
^The debate was organised by Trzaskowski's campaign committee; TVP, TVN, and Polsat all agreed to conduct and transmit the debate. The TV signal was also available for other stations.
^"Zjednoczeni Ponad Podziałami". Retrieved 2025-03-26. Ci mądrzejsi i orientujący się w zagrożeniach dla Polski piszą albo mówią to co reprezentują Zjednoczeni Ponad Podziałami. Nie mamy wyboru, mimo słabej kampanii Nawrockiego musimy na Niego głosować .
^Cichy, Łukasz (17 February 2025). "Kandydaci na Prezydenta RP Grzegorz Braun i Sławomir Mentzen odwiedzą Krotoszyn" (in Polish). Do 14 lutego zgłoszono, aż 22 kandydatów. W kolejności alfabetycznej są to: Magdalena Biejat (Lewica), Grzegorz Braun (Konfederacja Korony Polskiej), Katarzyna Cichos (Platforma Rozwoju Polski), Szymon Hołownia (Polska 2050), Dawid Jackiewicz, Marek Jakubiak (Wolni Republikanie), Dominika Jasińska, Wiesław Lewicki (Normalny Kraj), Maciej Maciak (Ruch Dobrobytu i Pokoju), Eugeniusz Maciejewski (PIAST - Jedność Myśli Europejskich Narodów i Świata), Sławomir Mentzen (Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległość), Karol Nawrocki (popierany przez Prawo i Sprawiedliwość), Wojciech Papis (Bezpartyjni), Joanna Senyszyn (Stowarzyszenie Lewicy Demokratycznej)...
^Drob, Daniel (20 March 2025). "Stanisław Żółtek wycofuje się z wyborów prezydenckich. Zdradził powody: Choć ma zarejestrowany komitet wyborczy, Stanisław Żółtek nie kandyduje na prezydenta - dowiedział się portal Gazeta.pl. Polityk, lider Polexitu, zdecydował o wycofaniu się z wyścigu. Wiadomo, kogo popiera w wyborach" [Stanisław Żółtek withdraws from the presidential election. He has revealed the reasons: Although he has a registered electoral committee, Stanisław Żółtek is not running for president, the Gazeta.pl portal has learned. The politician, leader of Polexit, has decided to withdraw from the race. It is known who he supports in the elections.]. Gazeta.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025. [...] rezygnuje z udziału w wyborach prezydenckich. [...] Gdy zarejestrował się Grzegorz Braun [...] uznałem, że mój elektorat całkowicie się rozdrabnia. [...] Dzisiaj życzę jak najlepiej Grzegorzowi Braunowi i go wspieram, choć ma dużą konkurencję [...]. [[...] resigning from the presidential election. [...] When Grzegorz Braun registered [...] I recognised that my electorate was completely fragmenting. [...] Today I wish the best for Grzegorz Braun and support him, although he has a lot of competition [...].]
^"Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak kandydatem na prezydenta? Jest jasna deklaracja" [Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak a presidential candidate? There is a clear declaration]. Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024. O zamiar kandydowania w wyborach prezydenckich generał rezerwy został zapytany w piątek w RMF FM. — Nie jestem zawodowym politykiem (...) Jestem zawodowym oficerem — odparł wojskowy. — Na pewno nie — mówił, dopytywany o jasną deklarację w sprawie startu. [The reserve general was asked about his intention to run in the presidential elections on Friday on RMF FM. "I am not a professional politician (...) I am a professional officer," the military man replied. "Certainly not," he said, when asked about a clear declaration regarding his participation.]
^"Prawybory w PO. Trzaskowski ma konkurencję" [Primary in PO [Civic Platform]. [Rafał] Trzaskowski has a competitor [Radosław Sikorski]]. TVP Info (in Polish). 9 November 2024. Archived from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.