2023 Polish General Election: A Win for Polish Democracy, but the Fight Isn’t Over.

The recent Polish election which saw Donald Tusk’s opposition party gains in parliament may have halted Poland’s descent into authoritarianism. However, despite the record turnout of 74% and improvement in administrative process that allowed wider access to the polling station, there remains concerns over the integrity of the election due to the incumbent Law and Justice party’s (PiS) manipulation of the electoral institutions, control over state media, and attempts to curb opposition via various state apparatus.

Since the PiS came to power in 2015, it has implemented institutional changes that constitute a regression of Polish democracy. A recent example of this is the 2018 introduction of two new chambers of the Supreme Court responsible for assessing the validity of the election, of which most appointments consist of PiS loyalists. Such partisan appointment is illegal under EU law as it allows for a party to interfere in the judiciary.

Another vital concern regarding the 2023 Polish Election comes from the lack of impartiality in media exemplified by the PiS’ control over national media, particularly Telewizja Polska S.A. (TVP), the most popular channel in the country. The appointment of Jacek Kurski who has close personal ties with the PiS resulted in the national outlet’s promotion of pro-PiS views, omission of PiS scandals, constant discredit of political oppositions.

Furthermore, a former TVP journalist told Foreign Policy, since the PiS came into office, words like “far-right” and “populism,” as well as criticism of international PiS allies like Donald Trump and Viktor Orban were banned. TVP has further been accused of hiring spies to follow journalists and oppositions.

In addition, the PiS has mobilised state apparatus in curbing opposition ahead of the election. The appointment of a commission to investigate Russian influence in Polish politics was highly partisan as the majority of consists purely of PiS members. The commissions’ ability to disbar anyone from office for 10 years has raised concerns from the European Commission, which started a legal case against Poland.

As Poland enters a new period of close contestation between the far-right PiS and moderate Civic Coalition (KO), the future of democracy in Europe’s 6th largest economy remains uncertain. Nonetheless, the new leadership should remain committed to free and fair election as a robust democratic process that truly represents the will of the Polish people.