Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential runoff in upset

Karol Nawrocki, an independent candidate backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, won Poland's presidential runoff election, according to the final vote count released by the Polish National Electoral Commission (PKW) early Monday.

The final result, reading "Elected in the second round," was posted next to Nawrocki's name on the PKW's public website Monday.

Nawrocki, a historian and head of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, received 50.89 percent of the vote in the presidential runoff, narrowly defeating Rafal Trzaskowski, the ruling Civic Coalition (KO) candidate and mayor of Warsaw, who garnered 49.11 percent.

This was Nawrocki's first presidential campaign – an uphill battle from the start. He consistently trailed Trzaskowski in polls, including Sunday evening's initial exit survey.

Born in 1983 in Gdansk, Nawrocki is set to succeed incumbent President Andrzej Duda, whose second and final term ends on August 6.