Poland elections: Law & Justice Party appears to have been defeated

I’m not an expert on domestic Polish politics by any means, but the view from Western Europe, as far as I can tell, is that this shouldn’t be seen as a general move to the left. Poland is a very conservative country by European standards, especially on social matters like immigration and LGBT+ issues, and that’s unlikely to change much. (Note there was also a question about migrants on the ballot which was boycotted to undercut its legitimacy, rather than allowing it to fail.)

The issues that looked from here to be most significant are the worsening relationship with the EU and, especially, Poland’s stance toward Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. The far-right Konfederacja party (Confederation), already a minority, was taking a pro-Russian stance, and they got wrecked in the election; their loss of support is a big reason why PiS won’t be able to form a coalition and retain power.

Of course, from where I am in Europe, of course these broader continental issues would be perceived as being important, because we’re all self-interested. :slight_smile:

This looks to be good commentary by Poles in the know. Pay attention to their cautions on how critical ministries and administrative functions have been packed with PiS loyalists; it’s going to be a major project to dislodge them before any meaningful progress can be made on many fronts.