Poles awakened Monday to a clear albeit close result that returns a nationalist politician to the presidency who has pledged to hinder the centrist, pro-EU government for the remainder of its term.

Karol Nawrocki, the conservative historian who won Poland's presidential election, cultivated a tough-guy image during his campaign, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and boxing rings. While his liberal opponent Rafal Trzaskowski played up his European credentials,

Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing historian, was elected Poland's new president on Monday. Mr Nawrocki achieved a narrow victory, securing 50.9 per cent of the votes compared with Rafal Trzaskowski, Warsaw's liberal mayor,