The fight for a seat in the EP is highly political // source: Wikimedia CommonsPoland's strong position in Europe, security, immigrants, Green Deal, Polexit – these are just any of the highly different slogans and postulates we have heard in fresh weeks. The European Parliament elections will take place on 9 June. Many candidates are very emotional among voters – especially those representing the most crucial KO and PiS parties. The associated names are most common in public space, but do they have the best chance of winning?
Among the ruling coalition politicians, there has long been talk of another mobilization during the parliamentary elections. In the lists of all groups there are no missing known names, although not all are related to the EP itself. A large part is associated with the October elections, or even the April ones, due to the fact that for many politicians, the EP elections are an chance to correct defeats... or to go 1 step further, in the case of those who have already obtained a mandate in the Polish Sejm.
A recipe for success?
One of the main players on the political phase is definitely the Civic Coalition. At the moment, it does not enjoy much mandates – the Citizens' Platform in 2019 obtained only 13 of them. However, everything points to a change in this election. In an Opinion24 poll for Gazeta Wyborcza conducted on 13-14 May, KO ranked first with 31% of support, ahead of 2 percent points of the Law and Justice. In addition to Euro MPs applying for re-election (including Ewa Kopacz), even members of the government – Boris Budka, Marcin Kierwiński and erstwhile Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz were included. The erstwhile was the most emotional – he promised to settle the erstwhile authorities of the Treasury companies, while before the completion of the works his candidacy was announced as a "one" in the Silesian district. It is amazing that Budka has late declared that he will not take part in the election – the change of decision explained the receipt of specified a proposal from the Prime Minister, erstwhile it turned out that Jerzy Buzek would not compete. Currently, his relation with the case of the Treasury companies is based primarily on the public criticism of the candidacy of Obiek, as well as the remainder of the PiS candidates, whose letters he called “beneficiaries lists”.
The list of the 3rd Road in Warsaw is opened by Vice-President of Poland 2050 Michał Kobosko. Among the “ones” there is no shortage of current ministers and deputy ministers, including Minister of improvement and Technology Krzysztof Hetman. The election run of the candidates of the coalition took hold without much echo – no of them are peculiarly distinctive so far. Most of all is spoken by Szymon Hołownia, who did not compete in the election.
For the Left, it is simply a hard election, although according to the polls it has a chance to surpass its consequence from the local elections. Robert Biedron, Joanna Scheering-Wielgus and Maciej Konieny were the districts with the best chance for a "ones" mandate. Unlike the remainder of the ruling coalition groups, the lists did not include the ruling ministers. However, not everywhere at the top of the list are known names – a large number of politicians are rather poorly associated on a national scale, which can translate into a number of votes. In the communicative of the Left, pro-European demands are far greater than individual candidates.
The fight for immunity or immunity?
Law and Justice in 2019 gained the most seats in Brussels from all Polish groups. Beata Szydło and Anna Zalewski, among others, fight for re-election. Now politicians are focusing on the slogans about Poland's sovereignty, criticising any EU regulations – mainly economical ones, specified as the Green Deal. There is besides a deficiency of spite towards Tusk, erstwhile president of the European Council. Jarosław Kaczyński insists on continuing the communicative about the "German agent" and, together with his party, builds narratives about the deficiency of Polish voice in the EP (the situation could only save mandates for PiS politicians).
Some lists include politicians who for many reasons may fear for their future in Poland. The announced settlement of the governments of the Law and Justice is coming in large steps, and for any the hazard of consequences for their actions is rather high. There are many breathtaking candidatures, especially in east regions, which for the Law and Justice are any kind of certainty. At the top of the list are Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, as well as erstwhile head of Orlen Daniel Obietek. All 3 are suspected of wanting to get immunity. Interestingly, this kind of candidacy is not appreciated by all organization members – for example MP Marek Suski publically supported Karol Karski, who started in Warmian-Masurian and Podlaskie Voivodeship. At the top of this list is Wąsik openly criticized by Suski: "No 1 will number on him in the European Parliament". According to him, there should be people with experience who will be respected there – and as for this he had any doubts about his partymate, who was inactive in prison recently.
Jacek Kurski, erstwhile president of TVP, who was re-entered in the ranks of the Law and Justice (disfellowshipped in 2011) besides scored a large return to politics. Its decision justifies "the fight for a normal, democratic, free Poland". From this candidacy, as it turns out, any of his organization colleagues are not satisfied, specified as President's Head of Office Marcin Mastalerek openly declaring a negative attitude towards this candidate. Kuri himself believes that “everyone wants him on the list”, as he declared in an interview with Radio Zet. He is surely wanted by organization head Jarosław Kaczyński, who “with all his heart” supports the erstwhile head of TVP.
The Confederacy besides tries its strength on the EP's lists, despite its skeptical attitude towards the European Union itself. Grzegorz Braun, who promotes autographing on fire extinguishers, became the “One”. He himself called the place on the list “an honor.”
Unpartisan candidates besides included the highly anti-EU Janusz Korwin-Mikke, until late besides associated with the Confederation. The list leader in Silesia gives as his motivation the “fight for Polish rights” and the desire for “Polish children to learn in a average school”. In parallel, on the X platform, he criticises for example "the limitation of Polish sovereignty by EU law".
Controversy around EP candidates is commented on by UAM, Dr. Joanna Kałużna:
– As regards the controversialness of candidates, 3 groups should be separated: always or frequently losers; late elected to the Sejm or Senate, or in elections to local government bodies; applicants for another term, despite their age and postulated by part of the public opinion of a "political retirement"; or "sadochronists" – who run from districts where the organization has advanced support, although voters do not necessarily accept this candidacy with enthusiasm.
Two camps, 1 Brussels
The percent difference between the 2 largest Polish parties will most likely be small, which reflects the division in Polish society. I asked Dr. Joanna Puddle again.
– All polls indicate a reasonably unchangeable support for the 2 largest groups, namely Law and Justice and the civilian Coalition. There is simply a decline in support for the 3rd Way and an increase in this support for the Confederacy. This is surely not surprising, many point to the "short bench" of the 3rd Way and to the fact that these candidates, who do not necessarily inspire our full trust in the EP elections, are gaining votes, so we would not see them as representatives of the territory in the Sejm or the Senate. In contrast, as those "who fight for the interests of Poland in the EU" (or against the EU) as much as possible, Dr. Kałużna besides points out that akin trends have besides occurred in Italy or the UK. He besides adds that in the EP elections, candidates for populist parties, controversial parties and campaigning on the basis of catchy slogans frequently gain from candidates, not circumstantial demands.
A decisive start will take place between the KO and the PiS, although smaller organization candidates can number on somewhat higher results than in the Sejm and Senate. The election run lacks clear, distinctive demands – there are clearly 2 larger camps here. The ruling coalition primarily talks about further strengthening Poland's position on the global arena, the opposition PiS in retaliation throws slogans about the essential sovereignty of the country. It is not hard to see the decline in interest in the 2023 national elections. The promotion of candidates is not so intense, the passwords do not fall so far into memory, and the new, interesting options, for which you could vote we most likely won't recognize. Many names overlap with the autumn letters, which seems as if these more controversial characters want to escape to Brussels from political responsibility. It is hard to find whether Poland has a chance to beat the evidence turnout in the 2019 elections to the EP (45.68%). Dr. Kałużna invites you to take part in the vote:
– It is crucial that election attendance is as advanced as possible, and everyone voted according to their preferences, without looking at which candidate is first on the list. Various elections showed that voters' decisions may not reflect "party puzzles". So for my part, I leave an appeal to go to elections first!
GARCHIAN OIL
