Poland’s recent election has resulted in a significant change in the leading party that hasn’t changed in almost a decade. Poland has been controlled under conservative leadership since 2015 by the Law and Justice Party and will now be controlled by the centrist Civic Coalition led by Donald Tusk.
The Law and Justice Party’s leadership can be roughly described as conservative and nationalist, combined with some social welfare spending to keep people happy.
Meanwhile, the Civic Coalition is made up of mostly centrist parties, but it’s a wide coalition that will have some ideological differences now that it has power.
The turnaround for the Law and Justice Party came from some of the decisions made during its eight years of power.
The main sticking point for most Polish voters who disapproved of the Law and Justice Party seemed to be the party’s anti-democratic behavior. This stems from feelings the party is growing increasingly authoritarian through laws, including the ability of the government to investigate Russian influence.
This law would allow Poland to remove leaders and state officials from the public for a decade, and people feared this could be used to remove opposition to the Law and Justice Party from public view.
The Law and Justice Party has also been increasing its control over the judicial system by removing judges who rule unfavorably to the party. This has gone so far that the European Union (EU) has withheld billions of euros in funding until the party ceased its control over the judicial system.
Many fear Poland is moving in the same anti-democratic direction as Hungary, which the EU declared as no longer being a democracy.
Another issue the Law and Justice Party faced was heavily limiting abortion rights in Poland, especially after the constitutional court was packed with judges favorable to the party that would go on to overturn even more protections for abortions.
One major issue that could have been a deciding factor for voters was the Law and Justice Party and the Civic Coalition’s stance on the EU. The Law and Justice Party, throughout its time in power, has come into conflict with the EU due to its tightening control over the judicial system and its anti-immigration rhetoric and policy.
Meanwhile, Donald Tusk of the Civic Coalition was once the president of the European Council, which is a major group within the EU that also wants to heal relations between Poland and the EU.
The election could have a massive impact on the war in Ukraine as Poland is a key member state of the EU. While the Law and Justice Party claim they don’t intend to leave the EU, the conflict Poland has had with the EU could be problematic for the organization’s long-term health.
Poland also has a record of coming into conflict with Germany, another major EU country. This conflict is mostly because of calls on Germany for reparations for World War II and Germany’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
Support for Ukraine has also been compromised by the Law and Justice Party’s willingness to attack its own allies rhetorically, and the far-right support the party enjoys has led to a decrease in support for Ukraine.
Only time will tell just how impactful this change in parties will be for Poland and the rest of the world.
