From bouncer to head of state Karol Nawrocki: The brawling hooligan who became Poland's president

Karol Nawrocki fought with hooligans, wrote anonymously about the shadow world of drugs and is a frequent guest on TV shows: Poland's new president is no stranger to controversy.

Karol Nawrocki has narrowly won the presidential election in Poland. The 42-year-old historian prevailed in the run-off against the liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. The right-wing opposition is celebrating him as a fresh, fresh-faced "citizen candidate". But Nawrocki is anything but a blank slate - and his political rise raises many questions.

Nawrocki likes to present himself as a popular climber with a simple background. Born in Gdansk, the son of a lathe operator and a bookbinder, amateur boxer, historian, later museum director - a career with symbolic value.

However, the seemingly down-to-earth citizen candidate has been closely associated with the right-wing conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) for years. He owes his nomination as a presidential candidate to PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński himself.

Allegedly independent, but very close to PiS

His appointment as director of the Museum of the Second World War in 2017 was made under pressure from the then PiS Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński. Today, Nawrocki heads the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), an influential history authority with a clearly national-conservative profile.

Despite his lack of experience in high state offices, Nawrocki was a tactically clever choice for the PiS: as a non-party candidate, he was able to distance himself from the bad reputation of the voted-out PiS government. At the same time, he is ideologically in line.

During the election campaign, he spoke out in favor of a veto against the EU migration pact, against further rights for minorities and against European climate policy. "We don't want to be a province of the European Union," he shouted to his supporters - in open contrast to Donald Tusk's pro-European government.

However, Nawrocki's candidacy also brought uncomfortable details to light. According to "Politico" and the "Economist", he spent the night in an official apartment at the museum for years, even though he did not have permission to do so. The allegations surrounding an apartment in Gdansk, which he is said to have taken over from an elderly neighbor, are far more serious.

Nawrocki claimed to have cared for the man - but according to research by "Onet.pl", he ended up neglected in an old people's home. According to the contract, the payment for the apartment was made in one lump sum in 2012.

Nawrocki later explained that he had paid the money over 14 years - a discrepancy that raises legal questions. The defeated left-wing presidential candidate Magdalena Biejat is already calling for an investigation by the public prosecutor's office.

Nawrocki is interested in a dubious shadow world

Nawrock caused a particular scandal in 2018, when he published a book about a Gdansk underworld boss under the pseudonym "Tadeusz Batyr". In a television interview, he praised himself - in disguise - as an "inspiration" for the author. The cover was only blown during the 2025 presidential election campaign.

According to theEconomist, there are several indications that Nawrocki's interest in the Gdansk demimonde was not just academic. During his studies, he worked as a bouncer in a luxury hotel in Sopot.

According to the Polish media, he also maintained contacts with the red-light district and was involved in procuring prostitutes. Nawrocki denies these allegations, but has not yet taken any legal action against the reporting.

Participation in "battle among 140 hooligans"

Nawrocki also sought physical combat. In 2009, he took part in a brutal mass brawl involving 140 hooligans. In an interview in May 2025, he admitted that he was there - it was a kind of "male competition".

According to theFAZ, several of those involved were later convicted. The newspaper recently described the events as a "battle between 140 Gdansk football hooligans".

Although Nawrocki is being sold as a "new face" in politics, he was never really unknown. He has been built up within the conservative media landscape for years. He was regularly present in programs on the public broadcaster TVP, often as a historical expert with a clear political line. He wrote for PiS-affiliated publications such as "Do Rzeczy" and the magazine "Solidarność". His campaign was supported by old PiS structures - even though he was never an official party member.

His election victory poses new challenges for Donald Tusk's government. Nawrocki is very likely to use his veto power to block legislative initiatives by the liberal coalition.

This could exacerbate the political deadlock in Poland - especially as Nawrocki is openly showing solidarity with Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán. Both have publicly praised him. The proximity to authoritarian leadership styles and a problematic relationship with the EU could lead Poland into a conflict-ridden role within Europe in the long term.

Experts are already warning of political chaos. "You have to expect chaos, because the new president will want to block the government," Agnieszka Lada-Konefal from the German Poland Institute in Darmstadt told the German Press Agency.

Nawrocki's aim is to make the work of Donald Tusk's pro-European government more difficult and to topple the government in the medium term: "The government will mainly be occupied with the fight against the president and will have little room for maneuvering in terms of foreign policy."