Op-Ed: Poland’s New Prime Minister Did Not Change Anything – but It’s Not His Fault
Donald Tusk, Poland’s Prime Minister, speaks during an election convention in Katowice, Poland on Oct. 12, 2023, prior to the parliamentary elections. Photo: Notes from Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to “chase away” the darkness and evil from the nation’s government after a shocking victory in the most recent parliamentary elections.
One year later, Tusk is still picking up the leftovers of his predecessors.
Tusk’s win ended an eight-year rule of Poland’s national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party under former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, igniting hope throughout Europe of restoring democracy to a once divided nation.
Civic Coalition (PO), Tusk’s alliance, in fact, did not secure a majority alone. Along with the Third Way and The Left, an opposition coalition government was formed after a combined total vote of 54% was achieved.
During its time in power, the PiS system has been criticized at home and abroad for its hyper-conservative and Eurosceptic standpoints with the European Union threatening to take action after President Andrzej Duda, a staunch supporter of PiS, signed a bill back in May 2023 preventing opposition leaders from holding office.
Duda’s decision was not the first controversy attached to the PiS. In 2017, a report published by Human Rights Watch revealed Poland’s parliament, under PiS control, rushed a series of draft bills that would establish a pathway for government control of the country’s Supreme Court. Under the legislature, existing Supreme Court judges, unless appointed by the government, would be expelled. The law further pushed the nation away from democratic norms and undermined the rule of law. It is important to note the Supreme Court plays an essential role in the Polish government as it supervises the lower courts and confirms the validity of parliamentary and presidential elections.
PiS had also been scrutinized for its tyrannical laws surrounding abortion in the country. A 2020 ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal established a near-total ban on abortion, limiting the procedure only to women whose life or health is at risk or if there is a “reasonable” instance of rape or incest.
The regulation continued to weaken the rule of law in Poland, coinciding with the government’s ongoing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Despite homosexual activity being legal in the country, same-sex marriages are still not recognized, preventing gay couples from adopting due to loopholes in current Polish legislation only allowing married couples to adopt. Conversion therapy is still legal and municipalities across the nation have put in place so-called “LGBT-free zones'' with many of these regions surrounding the cities of Łódź and Kraków.
Even with PiS no longer in control of parliament, Poland is still the noisy roommate of the EU – and Andrzej Duda can be thanked for that.
Polish President, Andrzej Duda, during the conclusion of a media conference in Kaunas, Lithuania on Nov. 25, 2022, to discuss defense issues. Photo: AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis.
As president, Duda has the power of veto, an ability that he has abused on various occasions – and has the track record to prove it. As a longtime opponent of the EU, President Duda is able to veto any legislation or European policy that Tusk’s coalition may bring to the table, making critical government reforms that the EU needs to see, almost impossible.
Progressive legislation regarding reproductive health remains on Tusk’s blueprint, but a recent veto from President Duda concerning access to over-the-counter morning-after pills for women and girls put the law right back on parliament’s table. The law was intended to be Tusk’s first step in liberalizing abortion and women’s health in the country, but Duda cited worries about the well-being of children and taking the voices of parents into account.
While Tusk continues to have promising goals for a post-PiS left-leaning government, including same-sex civil partnerships, implementation of the European Green Deal, and improving European partnerships, ending the rule of law crisis has been a slow battle. With President Duda at the end of his two-term tenure, and an election due for mid-next year, Tusk may have to wait until the end of Duda’s presidency to see any reform, but as a traditionally conservative state, Tusk’s rhetoric may never be a reality.
As a predominantly Catholic nation, Poland’s politics have been heavily influenced by the Catholic Church’s ideals and it is a pillar for many Polish communities with 71% of Poles identifying as Catholic, according to a recent census. Today, the contemporary Catholic Church mainly aligns with the PiS for its conservative beliefs regarding same-sex marriage and abortion, indicating that Tusk may not have the easiest time convincing voters of his progressive ideology.
Moreover, despite the Catholic Church being anti-communist due to its diminished role in state affairs prior to the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, the current state of Poland’s government concerningly resembles the Soviet-backed regime in the 20th century. Under the Polish People’s Republic, citizens were met with a restricted way of life. While, of course, that is not entirely the case in the modern government, the PiS has still incorporated limitations, including censorship, all while maintaining a divided, manipulative administration.
While Tusk’s first year has proven to be quite uneventful, the upcoming presidential elections might be his ticket to success. It is expected that Civic Coalition will field Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski as the party’s presidential candidate. Trzaskowski has been popular in the past where he had a very successful run in the previous presidential election, winning nearly 49% of the votes, but fell short to incumbent Duda.