In the first round of the Polish presidential elections, unexpected results have emerged with the far-right gaining significant traction.

Slavomir Mencen, representing the radical nationalist Confederation party, garnered 15.4% of the votes according to exit polls, marking a considerable achievement for the extreme right.

Following him, Grzegorz Braun, noted for his antisemitic views, received 6.2% of the votes, placing him fourth.

The incumbent coalition's candidate, pro-European Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, secured 30.8%, while his opponent, Karol Navrocki from the conservative Law and Justice party, obtained 29.1%.

If the official results corroborate the exit polls, the second round slated for June 1 may yield a more unpredictable outcome than anticipated, given the close percentages.

Political analysts have emphasized the significance of the total percentage of votes supporting pro-European ideals, which include independent judiciary and media freedoms, as well as a robust civil society, reflecting a comparison to Hungary's Viktor Orban.

Pro-European and democratic candidates collectively accumulated 39.7% of the votes during the first round, in contrast to the conservative opposition party Law and Justice, along with the far-right and radical nationalists, who combined for a total of 51.5%.

Navrocki, reflecting on the electoral projections, warned about the potential monopolization of power by the reigning coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which already holds a majority in both houses of parliament.

Should he face defeat, the coalition would also gain the presidency.

He expressed concerns stating, 'This is a moment to save Poland' and has called for support from Mencen to thwart Tusk’s consolidation of power.

Navrocki criticized the use of state institutions in the electoral campaign, claiming it erodes Polish citizens' trust in these institutions.

He has called for a significant march on May 25, urging citizens to resist Prime Minister Tusk's bid for a monopoly on power.

For the past eight years, Law and Justice, which appointed Navrocki and has funded his campaign despite his declaration as an independent candidate, has been criticized for monopolizing power in Poland.

The party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski held parliamentary majority and the presidency under Andrzej Duda, who was often described by critics as a 'pen president' due to his compliant approval of numerous reforms and laws from Law and Justice.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have consistently highlighted unfair electoral conditions during both presidential and parliamentary elections over the past eight years, noting that the public broadcasting service, under government control, executed biased campaigns against the pro-European opposition while public resources were disproportionately allocated to the governing party's election campaigns, including the misuse of official campaign mechanisms.