WARSAW
Poland’s incumbent president has been defeated by a right-wing candidate who had been relatively unknown in Poland before the campaign, according to exit polls released early on Monday.
An Ipsos poll showed Andrzej Duda, of the conservative Law and Justice party, received 52 percent of the vote against Bronisław Komorowski’s 48 percent, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) said.
Komorowski, allied to the ruling Civic Platform, conceded defeat and congratulated Duda, who will begin his duties in August.
Official election results are expected to be released by the State Electoral Commission on Monday evening.
PAP cited Maciej Gdula, a sociologist at Warsaw University, who interpreted the result as a sign of disillusionment with the Civic Platform, which has overseen rapid economic growth during its eight years in power but has been beset by corruption scandals.
“Duda didn’t win the elections, rather Komorowski lost them,” Gdula said.
The first round of voting two weeks earlier saw Duda, 43, a former member of the European Parliament, get 34.8 percent of ballots against Komorowski’s 32.2 percent.
More than 30 million voters were eligible to vote on Sunday.
The role of president is largely ceremonial although the office-holder is head of the Polish armed forces and can veto legislation.
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