Sovereigntist Karol Nawrocki is sworn in as President of Poland and promises to be 'the voice of the Polish people'

On Wednesday, Karol Nawrocki, 42, was sworn in as Poland's president and his rise from historian to head of state marks a shift toward conservative policies in Warsaw.

With the support of the main opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), Nawrocki narrowly won the June presidential election over pro-European Rafal Trzaskowski.

During his inaugural speech in Parliament, Nawrocki promised to be "the voice of the Polish people", of "those who want asovereign Poland", as well as to "fight against those who push the nation into decline."

An admirer of Donald Trump, this historian specializing in the criminal world stressed the importance of Poland's alliance with United States and promised that his country would play an active role in NATO, but did not mention Ukraine at all.

With his campaign slogan "Poland first, Poles first," Nawrock criticized the one million Ukrainian refugees residing in the country, a member of NATO and the EU.

While pledging to maintain support for neighboring Ukraine, Nawrocki opposes Kyiv joining NATO and has also denounced Warsaw's aid to Ukrainian refugees.

In his speech Wednesday, he said he is in favor of "a Poland that is in the European Union, but which is not the European Union, and which is and will remain Poland."

On the campaign trail, he said he would oppose "any transfer of competences" from Polish authorities to the European Union and the signing of new European treaties "that weaken Poland's role."

Nawrocki and Tusk will have to find compromises

Elected to a five-year term, Nawrocki will have to work with the pro-European government of Donald Tusk.

Tusk, for his part, told reporters that the new president "spoke quite frankly about confrontation with the government" in his inauguration speech.

"And of course we are ready for it," he said, before launching into a pledge to "strongly defend the constitution" if the president wants to encroach on the government's powers.