Page 30 - bne_August 2020_20200810

30 I Central Europe bne August 2020
Election poster of Andrzej Duda.
Andrzej Duda wins Polish presidential election
Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw
Poland’s nativist President Andrzej Duda has won the presidential election, beating centre-right mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski
in the run-off vote, results from nearly 100% precincts showed on July 13.
Duda won 51.14% of the votes versus Trzaskowski’s 48.86%. Turnout was 68.12%, the second-highest in the history of Poland’s presidential contests after 1990. Just under 500,000 votes separated the rivals with over 10.4mn Poles supporting Duda while 9.9mn voted Trzaskowski.
Duda’s victory is now expected to
pave the way for the ruling right-wing coalition, led by Law and Justice (PiS), to continue with its reformist – if hugely controversial and divisive – agenda.
In his marginally unsuccessful campaign, Trzaskowski – fielded by Poland’s biggest opposition party, Civic Platform (PO) – accentuated change and counterbalancing PiS.
PiS’s overhauling of Poland’s judiciary, targeting LGBT people and migrants in daily as well as campaign trail rhetoric, the party’s subservience to the Catholic Church, or widespread nepotism, have long stoked divisions in society.
The ruling party also appears likely
to get back on a collision course with the EU. The European Commission is investigating the reform of the judiciary, as Brussels says it is putting the courts under the direct political control of the government.
The ruling party’s complete control
of the state media – which ran an unwavering campaign of support for Duda while attacking Trzaskowski
for being an alleged agent of foreign interests – has also contributed to acrimony. Duda might attempt to lessen that although there is little from his first term in office to consider that
a likely scenario.
Instead, the uncontrollable part of
the media – with significant foreign ownership of some – is a problem that needs attention, PiS’s functionaries have long said. The criticism increased in the wake of unflattering coverage of the government and Duda by US-owned broadcaster TVN and partly German- owned tabloid Fakt.