A historian and populist firebrand who boasted about his brawls with soccer hooligans has narrowly won Poland’s presidential election, in a political upset that could torpedo the centrist government’s efforts to unspool the legacy of authoritarianism in the country.

Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian with no prior political experience, has been elected as Poland's next president -- a result

Karol Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and conservative, has won Poland's presidential election by a razor-thin margin. His election is likely to thwart efforts by the pro-EU coalition government to reverse rule-of-law changes made by the nationalist Law and Justice party when it was in power.