2020 Polish presidential election facts for kids

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28 June 2020 (first round)
12 July 2020 (second round)

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Turnout

64.51% (first round)

15.55pp
68.18% (second round)

12.84pp


Nominee	Andrzej Duda	Rafał Trzaskowski
Party	Independent	Civic Platform
Popular vote	10,440,648	10,018,263
Percentage	51.03%	48.97%

First round results by powiat

Second round results by powiat

President before election

Andrzej Duda
Independent

Elected President

Andrzej Duda
Independent

In 2020, Poland held important elections to choose its president. The first round of voting took place on June 28. Because no candidate won more than half of the votes, a second round was needed.

This second round happened on July 12. The two candidates with the most votes from the first round competed. They were the current president, Andrzej Duda, and Rafał Trzaskowski, who was the mayor of Warsaw.

Andrzej Duda won the second round with 51% of the votes. This meant he was re-elected for another term. He was the first president to win re-election in Poland since Aleksander Kwaśniewski in 2000.

The first round of the election was originally planned for May 10, 2020. However, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. New dates were set, and the election went ahead in June and July.

Andrzej Duda's win was the sixth time in a row that his political group, the Law and Justice (PiS) party, won a national election against other parties.

How Polish Presidents Are Chosen

The President of Poland is chosen by the people in an election. They serve for five years. A president can only be elected for two terms.

The Two-Round System

To win, a candidate must get more than half of all the valid votes. If no one does this in the first round, there's a second round. In the second round, only the top two candidates from the first round compete. The one who gets the most votes wins.

Who Can Be President?

To become a candidate, a person must be a Polish citizen. They also need to be at least 35 years old on the day of the first election round. Candidates must also collect at least 100,000 signatures from voters to be officially registered.

On election days, voting places were open from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Candidates for President

Ballot paper for the second round.

Many people wanted to become president. Here are some of the main candidates and how they were chosen by their parties.

Law and Justice Party Candidate

The current president, Andrzej Duda, could run for president again. His party, Law and Justice (PiS), strongly supported him for the election.

Civic Platform Party Candidate

At first, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska was chosen as the candidate for the Civic Platform party. However, she later decided not to run.

After she withdrew, Rafał Trzaskowski became the new candidate. He was the mayor of Warsaw. He quickly gathered over 1.6 million signatures to be eligible. In the first round, he received 30.46% of the votes. He then went on to the second round against Andrzej Duda.

Other Candidates Who Withdrew

Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska – She was the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm (a high position in the Polish parliament).

People Who Decided Not to Run

Some well-known politicians decided not to run for president, even though some people thought they might. These included Donald Tusk, who was a former Prime Minister of Poland.

Polish Coalition Candidate

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was the candidate for the Polish Coalition. He announced his campaign in December 2019.

The Left Party Candidate

The Left party chose Robert Biedroń as their candidate in early 2020.

Confederation Party Candidate

The Confederation party held a special kind of election called an "open primary." This was a new way of choosing a candidate in Polish politics. Krzysztof Bosak won this primary election and became their candidate.

Candidates Who Didn't Qualify

Many other people wanted to run for president. However, they needed to collect 100,000 signatures to be official candidates. Several people were not able to gather enough signatures by the deadline.

The Candidates Who Ran

Name	Born	Last position/job
Robert Biedroń	13 April 1976 (44) Rymanów, Subcarpathia	Leader of Spring (2019–2021) Member of the European Parliament (2019–present)	The Left
Krzysztof Bosak	13 June 1982 (38) Zielona Góra, Lubusz	Member of the Sejm (2005–2007, 2019–present)	Confederation
Andrzej Duda	24 May 1972 (48) Kraków, Lesser Poland	President of Poland (2015–present)	Independent
Szymon Hołownia	3 September 1976 (43) Białystok, Podlaskie	Television personality	Independent
Marek Jakubiak	30 April 1959 (61) Warsaw, Masovian	Leader of Federation for the Republic (2018–present) Member of the Sejm (2015–2019)	Federation for the Republic
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz	10 August 1981 (38) Kraków, Lesser Poland	Leader of Polish People's Party (2015–present) Parliamentary Leader of Polish Coalition (2018–present) Member of the Sejm (2015–present)	Polish People's Party
Mirosław Piotrowski	9 January 1966 (54) Zielona Góra, Lubusz	Leader of Real Europe Movement (2018–present) Member of the European Parliament (2004–2019)	Real Europe Movement
Paweł Tanajno	19 December 1975 (44) Warsaw, Masovian	Entrepreneur	Independent
Rafał Trzaskowski	17 January 1972 (48) Warsaw, Masovian	Mayor of Warsaw (2018–present)	Civic Coalition
Waldemar Witkowski	29 October 1953 (66) Poznań, Greater Poland	Leader of Labour Union (2006-present) Member of the Greater Poland Sejmik (2006–2023)	Labour Union
Stanisław Żółtek	7 May 1956 (64) Kraków, Lesser Poland	Leader of Congress of the New Right (2017–present) Leader of PolExit (2019–present) Member of the European Parliament (2014–2019)	Congress of the New Right
Stanisław Żółtek	7 May 1956 (64) Kraków, Lesser Poland		PolExit

Campaign Activities

During the election campaign, candidates often take part in debates. These are public discussions where they answer questions and share their ideas.

First Round Debates

Several debates were planned before the first round of voting. Some of these were cancelled, but one important debate was held on June 17, 2020, by TVP Info.

Second Round Debates

For the second round, both Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowski had different ideas about where to hold debates. They couldn't agree on a joint debate hosted by all major TV stations. As a result, Duda appeared at a TVP Townhall debate, and Trzaskowski held his own joint debate with other news organizations.

Who Supported Whom in the Second Round?

After the first round, some candidates who didn't make it to the second round told their supporters who they thought should win.

	First round
Szymon Hołownia	13.87%	Rafał Trzaskowski
Krzysztof Bosak	6.78%	No endorsement
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz	2.36%	Rafał Trzaskowski
Robert Biedroń	2.22%	Rafał Trzaskowski
Stanisław Żółtek	0.23%	Against Duda
Marek Jakubiak	0.17%	Andrzej Duda
Waldemar Witkowski	0.14%	No endorsement

Opinion Polls

Before the election, groups conducted "opinion polls" to guess who people would vote for. These polls helped show how popular each candidate was.

First Round Polls

2020 Polish presidential election polls for the first round.

Second Round Polls

2020 Polish presidential election polls for the second round.

Election Results

Results of the first round.

People waiting to vote after the polling station opened.

A ballot box used for voting.

The candidate who won the most votes in each region during the first round.

The candidate who won the most votes in each region during the second round.

Since no one won more than half the votes in the first round, Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowski moved on to the second round. Szymon Hołownia came in third place, and Krzysztof Bosak was fourth.

The second round was very close. Early results showed Duda slightly ahead. In the end, Andrzej Duda won with 51.03% of the votes, securing his re-election.

Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
Candidate		Party	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Andrzej Duda	Independent (PiS)	8,450,513	43.50	10,440,648	51.03
	Rafał Trzaskowski	Civic Coalition (PO)	5,917,340	30.46	10,018,263	48.97
	Szymon Hołownia	Independent	2,693,397	13.87
	Krzysztof Bosak	Confederation (RN)	1,317,380	6.78
	Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz	Polish People's Party	459,365	2.36
	Robert Biedroń	The Left (W)	432,129	2.22
	Stanisław Żółtek	Congress of the New Right	45,419	0.23
	Marek Jakubiak	Federation for the Republic	33,652	0.17
	Paweł Tanajno	Independent	27,909	0.14
	Waldemar Witkowski	Labour Union	27,290	0.14
	Mirosław Piotrowski	Real Europe Movement	21,065	0.11
Total			19,425,459	100.00	20,458,911	100.00

Valid votes			19,425,459	99.70	20,458,911	99.14
Invalid/blank votes			58,301	0.30	177,724	0.86
Total votes			19,483,760	100.00	20,636,635	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			30,204,792	64.51	30,268,460	68.18
Source: PKW, PKW, PKW, PKW

Results by Region

The election results varied across different regions of Poland, called voivodeships.

First Round Regional Results

Voivodeship	Andrzej Duda PiS		Rafał Trzaskowski KO		Szymon Hołownia Independent		Krzysztof Bosak Confederation		Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz PSL		Robert Biedroń The Left		Stanisław Żółtek KNP		Marek Jakubiak FdR		Paweł Tanajno Independent		Waldemar Witkowski UP		Mirosław Piotrowski RPE

	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Lower Silesian	545,001	38.21	512,357	35.92	201,050	14.09	91,793	6.44	27,210	1.91	37,245	2.61	3,542	0.25	2,323	0.16	2,356	0.17	2,163	0.15	1,353	0.09
Kuyavian-Pomeranian	380,190	39.54	322,961	33.59	148,597	15.46	56,532	5.88	24,234	2.52	22,250	2.31	2,083	0.22	1,310	0.14	1,309	0.14	1,082	0.11	912	0.09
Lublin	591,234	56.67	201,571	19.32	108,987	10.45	83,403	7.99	31,756	3.04	17,010	1.63	2,561	0.25	2,095	0.20	1,430	0.14	1,027	0.10	2,268	0.22
Lubusz	161,894	34.19	174,894	36.94	84,590	17.87	28,743	6.07	9,583	2.02	10,413	2.20	913	0.19	686	0.14	756	0.16	572	0.12	405	0.09
Łódź	589,185	46.63	363,209	28.74	163,294	12.92	77,759	6.15	31,245	2.47	29,022	2.30	2,901	0.23	2,143	0.17	1,824	0.14	1,703	0.13	1,322	0.10
Lesser Poland	912,452	51.11	426,950	23.92	206,034	11.54	138,603	7.76	52,483	2.94	34,230	1.92	5,015	0.28	3,217	0.18	2,116	0.12	2,371	0.13	1,763	0.10
Masovian	1,305,649	40.71	1,099,956	34.30	408,502	12.74	209,037	6.52	72,663	2.27	81,797	2.55	7,706	0.24	7,104	0.22	4,850	0.15	6,128	0.19	3,513	0.11
Opole	176,552	40.46	139,125	31.88	72,609	16.64	26,661	6.11	10,146	2.33	8,039	1.84	919	0.21	702	0.16	622	0.14	536	0.12	440	0.10
Subcarpathian	646,103	60.69	172,789	16.23	100,742	9.46	95,350	8.96	27,287	2.56	14,802	1.39	2,341	0.22	1,947	0.18	1,122	0.11	875	0.08	1,201	0.11
Podlaskie	280,113	50.59	114,076	20.60	92,088	16.63	42,823	7.73	11,681	2.11	8,746	1.58	1,299	0.23	1,024	0.18	747	0.13	518	0.09	602	0.11
Pomeranian	397,169	33.82	453,006	38.58	189,390	16.13	72,978	6.22	22,400	1.91	30,155	2.57	2,716	0.23	1,702	0.14	1,795	0.15	1,671	0.14	1,210	0.10
Silesian	913,421	41.22	693,193	31.28	341,169	15.39	157,010	7.08	42,625	1.92	50,805	2.29	5,399	0.24	3,565	0.16	3,535	0.16	3,047	0.14	2,429	0.11
Świętokrzyskie	343,752	56.02	130,670	21.29	62,383	10.17	42,544	6.93	19,494	3.18	10,728	1.75	1,214	0.20	1,018	0.17	668	0.11	555	0.09	614	0.10
Warmian-Masurian	253,931	40.10	208,922	33.00	93,598	14.78	42,365	6.69	15,689	2.48	14,025	2.21	1,261	0.20	1,062	0.17	959	0.15	755	0.12	625	0.10
Greater Poland	666,539	37.85	595,803	33.83	293,107	16.64	106,367	6.04	44,134	2.51	41,200	2.34	3,932	0.22	2,543	0.14	2,498	0.14	3,246	0.18	1,698	0.10
West Pomeranian	287,328	35.38	307,858	37.91	127,257	15.67	45,412	5.59	16,735	2.06	21,662	2.67	1,617	0.20	1,211	0.15	1,322	0.16	1,041	0.13	710	0.09
Poland	8,450,513	43.50	5,917,340	30.46	2,693,397	13.87	1,317,380	6.78	459,365	2.36	432,129	2.22	45,419	0.23	33,652	0.17	27,909	0.14	27,290	0.14	21,065	0.11
Source: National Electoral Commission

Second Round Regional Results

Voivodeship	Andrzej Duda PiS		Rafał Trzaskowski KO

	Votes	%	Votes	%
Lower Silesian	663,831	44.61	824,109	55.39
Kuyavian-Pomeranian	476,728	46.77	542,472	53.23
Lublin	725,453	66.31	368,630	33.69
Lubusz	199,589	40.20	296,849	59.80
Łódź	718,404	54.46	600,673	45.54
Lesser Poland	1,107,590	59.65	749,165	40.35
Masovian	1,630,346	47.74	1,784,947	52.26
Opole	215,648	47.36	239,682	52.64
Subcarpathian	785,645	70.92	322,133	29.08
Podlaskie	352,489	60.14	233,621	39.86
Pomeranian	512,916	40.16	764,363	59.84
Silesian	1,110,233	48.99	1,155,894	51.01
Świętokrzyskie	419,367	64.41	231,748	35.59
Warmian-Masurian	325,723	46.84	369,736	53.16
Greater Poland	829,590	45.07	1,011,128	54.93
West Pomeranian	367,096	41.24	523,113	58.76
Poland	10,440,648	51.03	10,018,263	48.97
Source: National Electoral Commission

Who Voted for Whom?

This table shows how different groups of people voted in the second round.

Demographic		Andrzej Duda	Rafał Trzaskowski
Demographic
Total vote		51.0%	49.0%
Sex
Men		51.9%	48.1%
Women		50.3%	49.7%
Age
18–29 years old		36.3%	63.7%
30–39 years old		45.3%	54.7%
40–49 years old		45.6%	54.4%
50–59 years old		59.7%	40.3%
60 or older		62.5%	37.5%
Occupation
Company owner		34.1%	65.9%
Manager/expert		32.6%	67.4%
Admin/services		44.7%	55.3%
Farmer		81.4%	18.6%
Worker		66.4%	33.6%
Student		30.1%	69.9%
Unemployed		65.4%	34.6%
Retired		64.1%	35.9%
Others		50.6%	49.4%
Agglomeration
Rural		63.8%	36.2%
<50,000 pop.		46.9%	53.1%
51,000 - 200,000 pop.		49.6%	50.4%
201,000 – 500,000 pop.		38.7%	61.3%
>500,000 pop.		34.2%	65.8%
Education
Elementary		77.3%	22.7%
Vocational		75.0%	25.0%
Secondary		50.9%	49.1%
Higher		34.9%	65.1%
Sejm vote in 2019
	Law and Justice	96.9%	3.1%
	Civic Coalition	1.8%	98.2%
	The Left	8.3%	91.7%
	Polish Coalition	29.4%	70.6%
	Confederation	40.0%	60.0%
	Others	16.8%	83.2%
Didn't vote		38.3%	61.7%
Don't remember		40.1%	59.9%
First-round president vote in 2020
	Robert Biedroń	16.0%	84.0%
	Krzysztof Bosak	52.3%	47.7%
	Andrzej Duda	99.1%	0.9%
	Szymon Hołownia	15.0%	85.0%
	Marek Jakubiak	65.9%	34.1%
	Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz	24.3%	75.7%
	Mirosław Piotrowski	76.1%	23.9%
	Paweł Tanajno	13.0%	87.0%
	Rafał Trzaskowski	0.7%	99.3%
	Waldemar Witkowski	10.8%	89.2%
	Stanisław Żółtek	34.7%	65.3%
Didn't vote		49.8%	50.2%
Don't remember		39.2%	60.8%
Second-round president vote in 2015
	Andrzej Duda	91.1%	8.9%
	Bronisław Komorowski	4.4%	95.6%
Didn't vote		30.1%	69.9%
Don't remember		39.2%	60.8%
Source: Ipsos

After the Election

After the votes were counted, Andrzej Duda invited Rafał Trzaskowski to meet. Trzaskowski said they could meet after the official results were announced. The next day, Trzaskowski congratulated Duda on his win.

Many leaders from other countries congratulated Duda. These included the US President Donald Trump, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Leaders from Lithuania, the UK, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine also sent their congratulations.

Experts who watched the election said the results showed that Polish society was divided. They also thought that the Law and Justice party would continue its policies and might have disagreements with the European Union. Duda received strong support from older voters, people in rural areas, those with less formal education, and voters in eastern Poland.

Complaints About the Election

The Civic Platform party made complaints to the Polish Supreme Court about the election results. They said there were problems with voter lists and ballot papers. They also complained that the state television, TVP, was unfair in its reporting. A media study found that TVP's news stories were mostly positive about Duda and mostly negative about Trzaskowski.

The Supreme Court looked into these complaints. They decided that the election was valid. They said that even if the television coverage was not perfectly fair, voters had other ways to get information.

Report on the Election Process

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) studied the election. They said the election was "run professionally" even though some rules were not completely clear. The ODIHR also reported that the election campaign had "negative and unkind language." They said that TVP, the public TV station, did not follow its rule to be fair and balanced. Instead, it seemed to support the current president and often showed his main opponent in a bad light. Some of the reporting used language that was not welcoming to everyone.