Poland’s autumn elections resulted in a collective win for the current opposition parties, even though the populist Law and Justice party (PiS) remains the strongest party in Poland. In the coming weeks, a final coalition agreement among the parties of the future government majority will be forged. Meanwhile, there will also be attempts by those […]
PiS
The campaign ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections lasted more than two years, deeply dividing Polish society and mobilising a record number of voters on the final straight. The ruling nationalist populists of the Law and Justice party (PiS) overstepped many boundaries, only to be finally punished by a majority of citizens. In Poland, the […]
With the initial exit polls of the Polish parliamentary elections reaching the public at home and abroad, many took to social media to speak about the ‘return of democracy’. However, in the aftermath of 15 October, anyone seeing the seat distribution should refrain from pairing the noun ‘democracy’ with the adjectives ‘social’ or ‘young’. With […]
During the eight years of the Law and Justice (PiS) government, the Polish Army has been subject to constant politicisation. The effects became particularly manifest during the recent parliamentary election campaign, “blurring the line between party and State, contrary to OSCE commitments, as observed by the ODIHR/OSCE in their preliminary post-election report from Poland. A […]
Far right populist parties have mobilised economically insecure voters by scapegoating immigration. Social Democrats should re-set the agenda by mobilising around equality, rather than copying far-right populist strategies. The far right is no longer confined to the political margins. Under the more palatable guise of ‘populism’, and a language that centres on national and popular […]