A Polish presidential candidate encountered backlash on Tuesday after local media revealed that he excessively promoted himself during a 2018 interview conducted under a pseudonym, where he praised his own contributions as a historian.
The revelations sparked mockery from political rivals of Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by Poland’s leading nationalist opposition party, Law and Justice. Analysts noted that this incident further complicates an already challenging campaign as Nawrocki strives to advance to the second round of voting.
Nawrocki, who leads Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance and previously directed the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, authored a book about gangster Nikodem Skotarczak in 2018, using the alias Tadeusz Batyr.
In a televised interview with state broadcaster TVP that year, Batyr, whose identity was obscured through voice alteration and image blurring, praised the work of Karol Nawrocki.
“He is truly a historian who motivated me to pursue my own work,” Batyr stated regarding Nawrocki, without disclosing that they were the same individual.
In a social media post from 2018, Nawrocki mentioned that Batyr had reached out to him for “a few tips.”
Supporters of liberal frontrunner Rafal Trzaskowski quickly ridiculed what they deemed a case of dual identity. Bartosz Arlukowicz, a pediatrician and member of the European Parliament from Trzaskowski’s Civic Coalition, commented on X, “If you, Karol, believe you met with Tadeusz and exchanged ideas, then this is a serious matter. This is no longer a joke.”
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Nawrocki dismissed the criticism, stating, “Using literary pseudonyms is a common practice in Polish journalism, literature, and science.” He added that he preferred not to associate the Museum of the Second World War with his book about a gangster.
