Devendra Kumar
Voters in Poland are currently casting their ballots in local elections, a significant event nearly four months after the coalition government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk took power. The elections offer the first electoral test for the new government and involve the election of mayors, municipal council members, and provincial assembly members. This exercise in self-governance is a crucial part of Poland’s democratic transformation, which began 35 years ago when the country threw off communism.
The elections have drawn nearly 190,000 registered candidates vying for local government positions in a country of 38 million people. The two largest political formations, the Civic Coalition and Law and Justice, are running neck-and-neck according to opinion polls. The Civic Coalition, led by the centrist and pro-European Union Civic Platform party, is trying to implement its program, which includes reversing changes made by Law and Justice to the judicial system and public media.
However, the process of reversing these changes is not easy and is hampered by resistance from conservatives within the Civic Coalition, particularly on issues such as abortion rights. Law and Justice, which governed the country from 2015 until last year, is trying to regroup and rebuild its support base, particularly in conservative rural areas where it has traditionally enjoyed strong backing.
The local elections also pose a test for Mr. Tusk’s coalition government, which won the national election in October on promises to reverse many of the changes made by Law and Justice. The government’s attempts to restore independence to the judicial system and liberalize the strict abortion law are two key areas where it is facing resistance. The government’s ability to deliver on these promises will be closely watched by voters.
The Warsaw Mayor, Mr. Trzaskowski, is also seeking a second term and is the favorite to win. However, it is unclear if he could win outright on Sunday or will need to face a run-off in two weeks’ time. Local governments have played an important role in Poland’s two major crises of recent years, including rolling out vaccinations against Covid-19 and helping the huge numbers of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the country after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The elections are seen as an important step in consolidating democracy in Poland and upholding the principles of self-governance and transparency. The results will be closely watched by analysts and policymakers, as they offer a look into the country’s political terrain and the future of the government.