Warsaw: The European Union may interfere in May's presidential election in Poland, Polish President Andrzej Duda claimed on Thursday. 'Brussels does not like conservatives ruling in Poland,' he told Kanal Zero, an online radio channel.

According to Anadolu Agency, the election is set to choose Duda's successor, whose second and final term in office ends in August. The main rivals are Karol Nawrocki, backed by the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party, and Rafal Trzaskowski from the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party. During its tenure from 2015 to 2023, PiS frequently accused Brussels of withholding EU funds based on what it claimed were unfounded objections.

The European Commission has stated on several occasions that the withheld funds were due to Poland's democratic backsliding concerning the independence of the media and judiciary. Duda's recent statements also included a claim that Brussels had interfered in Romania's presidential election. 'I ask myself the question, and I mean that seriously because I've heard statements from prominent members of the European Commission saying that they interfered in the Romanian case,' Duda said. 'And I don't like that very much, because they have also interfered in Polish affairs before.'

In December, Romania's constitutional court annulled the first round of the presidential election, which had taken place the previous month and was won by Calin Georgescu, a nationalist candidate considered pro-Russia. Duda questioned whether elections in individual countries, which seem democratic, can only be won by those accepted in Brussels.

Duda expressed concern over a 'real threat to democracy today,' citing Romania as a vivid example. He warned that in Poland, 'democracy will become a complete facade and it will be the case that no one else will ever be able to win the elections.'