Polish presidential candidates hold rival rallies in Warsaw before runoff election

Candidates representing sharply divergent visions for nation's future are neck-and-neck in polls

Tens of thousands of people in Warsaw have taken part in duelling political marches, led by the two men vying for the Polish presidency in a 1 June runoff election, which is expected to be close and consequential.

Many of those who joined Sunday's marches had travelled from across Poland, a country of nearly 38 million people, not just to support a candidate but to rally behind sharply divergent visions for the nation's future.

At the head of one march was Rafa Trzaskowski, 53, the pro-EU mayor of Warsaw who supports abortion rights and LGBTQ+ inclusion. He is a close political ally of the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, who has led a centrist coalition government since late 2023.

During a speech to a huge crowd, Trzaskowski laid out his vision for a Poland that is inclusive and vowed to work to help develop industry as the nation continues a economic transformation into a regional economic and military power.