The Polish constitutional court caused an uproar within the European community when they declared EU treaties ultra vires back in October. The Polish constitutional court has become notorious for choosing to ignore the legal hierarchy of EU law, which has forced us to question why this Polish party continues to gain popularity amongst Polish voters. As this blog explores the complex effect that a history of communism can have on a developing democratic government within the EU, it is important to look at the problems the Poland faces regarding the political literacy of their citizens and why exactly Poland seems to be shifting away from liberal democracy. 

The Law and Justice party has ruled since winning the elections in 2015 and has continued to restrict its citizens from freedoms that are (supposedly) protected by constitutional law. How is it that people are continuing to support the Law and Justice party? And do they actually know what they’re voting for?

The Law and Justice party has made notable strives, contributing to a growing economy and reducing unemployment rates throughout the country. They have managed to keep several promises made during the 2015 elections, such as their child subsidiy program to support low-income families and unemployment rates are at a record low, which is keeping a large sector of voters happy. This story takes a bitter turn though, as citizens continue to pay a price for these changes, such as a strain on public finances and increased public debt, a major risk if the Polish economy were to take a hit. 

It seems this economic risk is not affecting voters’ mindsets as the Law and Justice party tackle issues that are especially concerning to Polish citizens, namely the EU’s stance on the immigration crisis. The Polish ‘Polityka’ journal conducted a poll which found 51% of the respondents were to support leaving the EU in order to prevent the entry of Muslim migrants. Polish citizens are deeply concerned by the potential threat that immigration could be to national sovereignty and security, which could be linked to Poland’s history of communism. 

Another alarming reason behind the current voting trends are the shockingly low participation statistics of Polish citizens in elections. In fact, the highest turnout rated at 62% was for the very first free elections in 1989 and have been steadily declining since. Why don’t more polish citizens feel the need to vote? The opposition party has not succeeding to match Law and Justice in tackling an issue that would stimulate Polish voters to actively vote for them. This combined with the lack of access polish citizen have to unbiased political information via the media make voting less desirable.

According to professor Aleks Szczerbiak at the University of Sussex, Polish citizens tend to vote pro EU, however the Polish political playing field has been overridden by Kaczyński, turning television networks into propaganda spreaders, restricting free speech, and controlling the Polish court system. This environment is not set up to contributing to citizens’ political literacy and is set up to keep one party in control. 

The system sounds like a daunting cycle, one that is genuinely concerning for the future of Polish politics and the constitutional rights of Polish citizens. Whether support for Law and Justice continues to grow is hard to determine, as polls and political journals could to some extent be over or underestimating actual trends. These inaccuracies should be considered when judging Polish voting trends however the question remains, how do Polish citizens gain political knowledge in a bias environment?