海角大神

A late exit poll in Poland鈥檚 presidential runoff Sunday showed the conservative, populist incumbent, Andrzej Duda, leading against the liberal, pro-Europe mayor of Warsaw, but with the race still too close to call.

It appeared to be the closest election in Poland鈥檚 history, reflecting the deep divisions in this European Union nation. Although the country is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and problems in its health and education systems, the campaign was dominated by issues of culture and saw strains of homophobia and anti-Semitism.

The late exit poll by the Ipsos institute showed Mr. Duda with 50.8% of the vote and challenger Rafal Trzaskowski with 49.2%. An earlier exit poll had showed Mr.聽Duda with 50.4% and Mr.聽Trzaskowski 49.6%. The polls had margins of error of plus-or-minus 1 percentage point and 2 points, respectively.

Official results are not expected until Monday or Tuesday.

The results would lead Poland down starkly different political paths, at least until 2023, when the next parliamentary election is scheduled.

Mr.聽Duda, who is backed by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party and the government, campaigned on traditional values and social spending in this mostly Catholic nation as he sought a second 5-year term.

As the race became tighter in recent weeks, Mr.聽Duda turned further to the right in search of votes. He seized on gay rights as a key theme, denouncing the LGBT rights movement as an 鈥渋deology鈥� worse than communism.

Mr.聽Duda's campaign also cast Mr.聽Trzaskowski as someone who would sell out Polish families to Jewish interests, tapping into old anti-Semitic tropes in a country that was home to Europe's largest Jewish community before being decimated by Germany in the Holocaust.

On Sunday night Mr.聽Duda said he didn鈥檛 regret anything he said in the campaign because 鈥淚 said what I believe.鈥�

Mr.聽Trzaskowski, a former European Parliament lawmaker, jumped into the race relatively late to oppose Mr.聽Duda鈥檚 and Law and Justice's erosion of democratic rights under the ruling party. He represented the centrist opposition Civic Platform party, which was in power in from 2007 to 2015.

Mr.聽Duda expressed confidence that the results would confirm his victory, and he called the high turnout 鈥渁 beautiful testimony of our democracy.鈥�

Mr.聽Duda said the turnout was around 70%, which would be a record high for a presidential election in the 30 years since Poland threw off communism, embraced democracy and later gained membership in NATO and the EU.

Long lines outside some polling stations Sunday night forced them to stay open past their official closing time of 9 p.m. for what many considered to be one of the most crucial elections in these three decades of democracy.

Those supporting Mr.聽Trzaskowski saw the election as possibly a last chance to halt an erosion of the rule of law and discriminatory rhetoric under Mr.聽Duda and the ruling party, both in power since 2015.

At an election night event, Mr.聽Trzaskowski said he still believed the numbers could turn in his favor. Exit polls do not reflect the votes cast from abroad, and a majority of them were expected to go to Mr.聽Trzaskowski.

He said he was still dreaming of a Poland 鈥渢hat knows how to rebuild a united society, that is proud of it鈥檚 tradition, that is looking to the future, that is just, European, tolerant, where no one divides us.鈥�

If Mr.聽Duda is reelected, the populist Law and Justice party will keep a close ally in the president and maintain its hold on almost all key instruments of power in the nation of 38 million people. A win for Mr.聽Trzaskowski would give him the power to veto laws passed by the ruling conservatives and give Poland a less contentious relationship with European Union officials.

Mr.聽Duda had the full mobilization of the government, public media, and the help of President Donald Trump, who welcomed him at the White House last month and said he was doing a 鈥渢errific job.鈥�

The ballot was supposed to be held in May but after much political wrangling was delayed by health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some 30 million voters were eligible to cast ballots. In the first round with 11 candidates, Mr.聽Duda got 43.5% support and Mr.聽Trzaskowski 30.5%.

The ruling party and Mr.聽Duda have won popularity through a welfare program that improved the lives of many impoverished retirees and families with children, especially in rural areas and small towns, and also through their attachment to Poland's traditional Roman Catholic values.

But the ruling party has drawn criticism from EU leaders for taking steps to politically influence the justice system and the media in Poland. It has also deepened social rifts with verbal attacks on urban liberals, Jews, and the LGBT community.

Mr.聽Trzaskowski vowed to close the social rifts in Poland but keep the benefits payments coming. Sunday's exit polls showed his support strongest among younger people, in larger cities and among more highly educated people.

Due to the pandemic, the voting was held under strict sanitary regulations. Poland has registered over 37,000 infections and almost 1,600 virus-related deaths. Voters had to wear masks and gloves, maintain a safe distance and use hand sanitizer. They used their own pens to mark ballots.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽

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