Warsaw: Karol Nawrocki, an independent candidate supported by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, has emerged victorious in Poland’s presidential runoff election. The final vote count, released early Monday by the Polish National Electoral Commission (PKW), confirmed Nawrocki’s win.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the final result was marked with “Elected in the second round” next to Nawrocki’s name on the PKW’s public website. Nawrocki, a historian and the head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, secured 50.89 percent of the votes, narrowly defeating Rafal Trzaskowski. Trzaskowski, representing the ruling Civic Coalition (KO) and serving as the mayor of Warsaw, received 49.11 percent of the vote.

This election marked Nawrocki’s first presidential campaign, which was a challenging journey from the outset. He consistently lagged behind Trzaskowski in the polls, including in the initial exit survey conducted on Sunday evening.

Born in 1983 in Gdansk, Nawrocki will succeed the outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, whose second and final term concludes on August 6.