WARSAW (dpa-AFX) - Conservative EU-skeptic historian Karol Nawrocki has narrowly won Poland's presidential election.
In the second round of voting Sunday, the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) Party candidate won 50.9 per cent of the votes while Rafal Trzaskowski of the ruling Civic Coalition party received 49.1 per cent.
Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of capital Warsaw, had claimed victory after the first exit poll, while Nawrocki cautioned that the results were too close to call.
The first round of election, held last month, was extended to second round as neither of them could win the 50 percent of votes required to decide a clear winner.
The presidential powers under Poland's constitution are mostly ceremonial, but strong enough to veto government legislation.
Current President Andrzej Duda had vetoed the Bills to restore the independence of the judiciary and the right to abortion.
The coalition government headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk does not enjoy the majority in the parliament required to overturn a presidential veto.
Trzaskowski follows a pro-European path whereas Nawrocki is skeptical on the European Union and a known ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The EU-skeptic Nawrocki is expected to use veto power to scuttle the Tusk Government's pro-EU program, reports say.
The outcome is crucial for the future foreign policy of Poland, which is a key member of NATO and the European Union, and supports its neighbor Ukraine in the war against Russia.
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