The Knife Tips
Photograph of Mr Duda’s victory rally in Warsaw. Photo courtesy of the European Pressphoto Agency.
On 12 July, the second round of the Polish presidential election saw right-wing incumbent Andrzej Duda squeezed out a narrow victory against opposition Warsaw mayor and opposition challenger Rafał Trzaskowski.
The election, which was seen by many as a referendum on the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), was a disappointment for opposition leaders, who had hoped to turn a new page in Polish politics (see opinion: On the Knife’s Edge).
Before the second round took place, Mr Duda promised that, if elected, he would seek to ban same-sex adoption, and continue to pursue a mandate to restrict abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, as reported by Reuters.
Mr Duda ran an aggressive campaign, laced with homophobic language, attacks on the media, and accusations that Mr Trzaskowski represents non-Polish interests. Mr Duda also promised expansion to government welfare programmes, a ploy that likely won him votes from Poles struck by COVID-19 and the ensuing economic crisis.
As polls in the county closed, Mr Duda struck a more conciliatory note, saying ‘Hold back as much as you can from unnecessary words...because words can hurt…Please, help me put Poland back together again’.
Many pundits have suggested that the PiS may move closer to the centre, now that the electoral pressure on the party has eased. However, Mr Trzaskowski has said that he doubts the government will take a more moderate stance.
The close margin of victory and the fact that Mr Duda was trounced in urban areas and the West of the country shows how the country’s political atmosphere is changing.
Unlike Hungary, which is virtually under one-party rule and doesn’t allow for liberal reforms, Poland remains a vibrant democracy, with significant opposition parties and pluralistic society.
Mr Trzaskowski also didn’t alienate Conservative Catholic voters, by shifting his stance closer to the centre. The Civic Platform group, under which Mr Trzaskowski was running, didn’t endorse same-sex marriage, instead, supporting civil unions, according to The Economist.
If the PiS-led government continues on its strategy of restricting same-sex partnerships, limiting abortions (which remain illegal except in instances of medical necessity, incest, or rape), and undermining the independence of the judiciary, it will likely come to blows with the European Union, which is already keen to sanction its voting rights for ignoring the rule of law.
The election has faced criticisms from the opposition due to unfair coverage from the state media broadcaster, which was seen as favouring Mr Duda.
The High Court received thousands of protests, asking for a reevaluation of the election due to media irregularities, restrictions on the voting rights of Poles abroad, and the hotly contested decision to hold the vote during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by The New York Times.
On 03 Aug., High Court’s panel upheld the election. However, the judiciary itself has come under hot scrutiny for its lack of independence and the habit of PiS appointed judges to answer to the government.
Former Constitutional Tribunal judge Miroslaw Wyrzykowski made a statement saying, ‘The whole electoral procedure from the beginning until the end violates the Constitution…We will have a president elected in an unconstitutional manner’.
This year’s presidential election has given Mr Duda and the PiS a renewed mandate to govern Poland, at least until parliamentary elections in 2023. Whether the government will start to move closer to the centre, or whether it will come into resistance from EU leaders remains to be seen.
Sources:
Plucinska, Joanna. ‘Polish conservative Duda re-elected president, deeper EU rifts likely’. Reuters, Thomas Reuters Corporation, 13 July 2020,
‘Polish LGBTQ people leaving as post-vote mood grows hostile’. NBC News, NBCUniversal, 06 Aug. 2020,
‘A win for intollerance: A nasty election in Poland’. The Economist, The Economist Group, 18 July 2020,
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/07/18/a-nasty-election-in-poland
Pronczuk, Monica. ‘Poland’s Supreme Court Declares Presidential Election Valid’. The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 03 Augustt 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/world/europe/poland-court-presidential-election.html