Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said he had no regrets about his presidential campaign and that he gave it everything he had, speaking publicly for the first time since his narrow defeat to Karol Nawrocki in the June 1 election.

The centrist mayor of Warsaw lost the run-off by a slim margin, winning 49.11% of the vote against Nawrocki’s 50.89%, according to the final results. Turnout reached 72.8%, one of the highest in the history of Poland's democratic elections.

Trzaskowski’s defeat dealt a serious blow to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition, which had hoped to gain control of the presidency to push through long-delayed reforms, so far obstructed by incumbent President Andrzej Duda.

“I’ve learned not to blame anyone. I truly believe I did everything I could and worked hard over the past eight months,” Trzaskowski said during a press conference in Warsaw on June 4. 

Asked whether he held any grievances towards his campaign team or Prime Minister Tusk, Trzaskowski said it was not his place to judge the campaign, but confirmed he would be discussing the outcome with Tusk directly.

“Of course I’ll speak with the prime minister, and I’ll do so later today,” Trzaskowski also said.

“If we want Poland to develop, everyone has to stay engaged. The coming months and years will be difficult, because politics has changed in Poland and in Europe. There’s still a great deal to be done,” Trzaskowski also said.

Trzaskowski was speaking at an event marking the reopening of Plac Centralny, a long-neglected area in downtown Warsaw next to the iconic Place of Culture and Science, where he also announced further development plans for the capital. 

“I’m the mayor of the capital. I remind you that I won re-election here last year in the first round, so it’s natural that I will now concentrate on Warsaw,” Trzaskowski said.