A significant part of Poles could vote for a candidate supported by Musk

A recent poll revealed that 44.6% of Poles would consider voting for a candidate endorsed by billionaire Elon Musk. His influence in European politics, notably his support for Germany’s right-wing party AfD, has sparked interest in Poland ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 18 May.

According to the survey conducted by Rzeczpospolita, 33.4% of respondents indicated that Musk’s backing might influence their decisions, while 11.2% expressed readiness to vote for his preferred candidate. Conversely, 22.2% stated that such an endorsement would discourage them, and 48.2% said Musk’s support would not affect their vote.

Małgorzata Bodzon, senior project manager at SW Research, highlighted that Musk’s support would deter 27% of voters over 50 and 30% of highly educated individuals from voting for his endorsed candidate.

Warsaw discusses possible sanctions against X ahead of election

During a visit to Paris earlier this month, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski was asked if Musk might influence Poland’s presidential election. Sikorski remarked that it was a question for Musk himself but added that such interference would be illegal in Poland.

The minister emphasized that Polish authorities “must be ready to protect our democratic process so that Poles, not foreigners, elect our president.”

Magdalena Biejat, the Left Party’s presidential candidate, suggested in an interview with Radio ZET that Poland might consider temporarily blocking access to X (formerly Twitter) to prevent foreign interference in the election. Biejat discussed the issue with Digital Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski and later advocated for opening talks with the European Union about limiting access to X across Europe.

In contrast, Karol Nawrocki, supported by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, rejected these ideas. Nawrocki criticized the government for attempting to censor social media and referenced Biejat’s statements as evidence of overreach.

Who did Musk support in Poland?

While Musk has commented on political issues in Europe, such as criticizing Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s ban on religious symbols in the town hall in 2024, he has rarely mentioned Poland. Musk described the ban as “shamelessly copying stupid things from America,” implying disapproval of Trzaskowski’s policies. This suggests that Musk is unlikely to support Trzaskowski, a member of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition.

Musk’s pattern of siding with right-wing parties in other countries hints at possible alignment with candidates like Karol Nawrocki, Sławomir Mentzen of the far-right Confederation, or MEP Grzegorz Braun. However, Nawrocki may be considered too mainstream, and Braun’s chauvinistic and antisemitic views could deter Musk. Mentzen, being young and technologically inclined, appears to align more closely with Musk’s preferred profile. Mentzen’s party, New Hope, is part of the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, founded by the AfD, further suggesting compatibility.