Tusk’s party holds primary to choose presidential candidate for election in 2025

Associated Press (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition is holding a primary on Friday to choose a candidate who will run in the nation’s presidential election next year.

Party members are choosing between Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski to run in the election.

Whoever wins Friday’s contest will face a field of other candidates in the election for the next Polish president in the spring. The date has not yet been announced but a first round is expected to be held in May, and a possible runoff two weeks later if no candidate gets an outright majority in the first round.

The conservative incumbent, President Andrzej Duda, will complete his second and final five-year term in August 2025. The Polish constitution prevents him from running again.

It is a priority for Tusk to have an ally win the presidency because it will determine whether he can fulfil his agenda. He is currently hampered by Duda, who has veto power over legislation.

Trzaskowski already ran for president in 2020, and barely lost to Duda. He has long been considered the obvious candidate for Tusk’s party, but was recently challenged by Sikorski.

Sikorski, who has also served as a defense and foreign minister in past governments and has ties in Washington, argues that his substantial experience in the areas of security and diplomacy make him the better choice.

He also was endorsed in recent days by a popular former left-wing president, Aleksander Kwasniewski.

Tusk is scheduled to announce the winner of the Civic Coalition’s primary on Saturday morning in Warsaw.

Civic Coalition is led by Tusk’s party Civic Platform and also includes smaller parties including the Greens.

Warsaw, Poland, The Associated Press