Dyrina Anna Fedorovna – Researcher, INION RAS
The article examines the political situation in Poland on the eve of the parliamentary elections to the Sejm and the Senate, which will be held in autumn 2023, as well as some aspects of the foreign and domestic policy of «Law and Justice» (Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) party and the pre-election struggle between the ruling party and the opposition forces. Special attention is paid to public opinion polls, which are quite popular in Poland, as they help political parties track how effective their efforts are in the struggle for votes. The methods of this struggle are quite diverse: for example, the article notes the PiS initiative to create a commission to monitor and eradicate «Russian influence» and the largest opposition rally organized by the «Civic Coalition» led by D. Tusk. State security is one of the main topics in Polish public discourse. The paper examines Poland’s position at NATO summit held in Vilnius on 11–12 July 2023, and the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on Polish society. The author analyzes in detail several factors that to some extent undermine the position of the ruling party, which is actively discussed in the Polish media: the agricultural crisis resulting from the oversaturation of the grain market, which caused farmers to suffer losses, as well as the incident with the missile that violated Polish airspace in December 2022 and was discovered by chance only in April 2023. In the final part of the work, the social policy of «Law and Justice», which is its strength and trademark, is considered; it is noted that the «500 zloty» program (payments for each child), was transformed into «800 zloty» program, which will undoubtedly receive a positive response from the Polish population. It is concluded that the «political landscape» in Poland is quite diverse and it will not be easy for political forces with different views to co-operate with each other in the new government. According to opinion polls, a third parliamentary term for «Law and Justice» is quite possible, however, most likely, PiS will not be able to get a majority in the parliament.
Poland, «Law and Justice», parliamentary elections, «Civic Platform», «Civic Coalition», «Confederation Liberty and Independence», A. Duda, J. Kaczyński, M. Morawiecki, M. Błaszczak, D. Tusk, S. Mentzen.
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