Poland to Elect New President in Run-Off Vote

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A second round of presidential elections is taking place in Poland on Sunday, after both opposition candidate Andrzej Duda and acting President Bronislaw Komorowski failed to secure 50 percent of the votes needed for outright victory.

In the first round of the election, held on May 10, conservative Duda overcame Komorowski with 34.76 against 33.77 percent of the votes.

Poland's incumbent president has been a strong supporter of the European Union, particularly on the issue of Ukraine, while Duda is a mild euro-sceptic.

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© REUTERS / Kacper Pempel

Andrzej Duda, candidate of the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party shows the victory sign during his election campaign, a day after the first round of the Polish presidential elections in Sochaczew, near Warsaw, Poland, May 11, 2015. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski was surprisingly pushed into second place by conservative challenger Duda in Sunday's presidential election, although the latest exit poll results show the gap narrowing ahead of official results expected later on Monday, pollster Ipsos said. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

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© AFP 2023 / JANEK SKARZYNSKI

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski addresses his supporters after the announcement of the exit poll results of the first round of the presidential election in Warsaw on May 10, 2015. Conservative opposition challenger Andrzej Duda pulled off a surprise first-round lead in Poland's Sunday presidential ballot, trumping incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski ahead of a May 24 run-off, an exit poll said. AFP PHOTO / JANEK SKARZYNSKI

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© REUTERS / Kacper Pempel

Andrzej Duda, candidate of the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party shows the victory sign during his election campaign, a day after the first round of the Polish presidential elections in Sochaczew, near Warsaw, Poland, May 11, 2015. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski was surprisingly pushed into second place by conservative challenger Duda in Sunday's presidential election, although the latest exit poll results show the gap narrowing ahead of official results expected later on Monday, pollster Ipsos said. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

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© AFP 2023 / JANEK SKARZYNSKI

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski addresses his supporters after the announcement of the exit poll results of the first round of the presidential election in Warsaw on May 10, 2015. Conservative opposition challenger Andrzej Duda pulled off a surprise first-round lead in Poland's Sunday presidential ballot, trumping incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski ahead of a May 24 run-off, an exit poll said. AFP PHOTO / JANEK SKARZYNSKI

Komorowski, 62, was ahead of Duda in pre-election ratings released earlier this week. A Monday poll by research organization Millward Brown showed that some 47 percent of respondents were ready to vote for the acting president, who took office five years ago.

Duda, a 43-year-old candidate from the biggest opposition party in Poland, Law and Justice, was supported by 44 percent of the poll respondents.

Seven percent of the over 1,250 survey participants said they were undecided.

The first round of the presidential election in Poland saw a 49-percent voter turnout.