UPDATE: Centrist Trzaskowski likely wins Polish presidential election, exit poll shows
Rafal Trzaskowski, a candidate backed by the centrist ruling party, has won the second round of the presidential ballot on Sunday, securing 50.3 percent of the vote against the right-wing Karol Nawrocki on 49.7 percent, an Ipsos exit poll has shown.
If Trzaskowski's win is confirmed by the National Electoral Commission, in August he will take over as Poland's next president for a five-year term.
Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and a member of the ruling centrist party Civic Coalition, also won the first round of the presidential election on May 18, securing 31.36 percent of the vote.
Nawrocki, who was supported by the previous governing party, the socially-conservative Law and Justice, secured 29.54 of the vote in the first round on May 18.
The exit poll was carried out by Ipsos for the public television station TVP and leading private TV broadcasters.
Ipsos puts the margin of error for the exit poll at 2 percent.
The estimated turnout was relatively high, at 72.8 percent.
After exit poll results were announced, Trzaskowski said: "We won, but on the razor's edge. I said it would be very close."
He added that from the very beginning he said every vote would count.
"I will unite and build, I will truly be the president of all Polish women and men, I will be your president," Trzaskowski declared.
Meanwhile, Nawrocki told his supporters: "We will win and save Poland," referring to the fact that the difference was so narrow that the official figures could still change.
"We will not allow for making [Prime Minister] Donald Tusk's rule complete, for the monopoly of the evil rule, the rule that does not care about public finances, the rule that takes away our great dreams and aspirations," he added. (PAP)
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