Following the vote tally by Poland’s State Electoral Commission, former conservative speaker of the Parliament, Marek Jurek, has labeled the election results as “very bad” for the country. With all votes counted, the difference between the Civic Coalition (KO), which secured first place, and the second-ranked Law and Justice (PiS) party, was notably slim.
The Civic Coalition (KO) garnered 37.06 percent of the votes, winning 21 seats, while Law and Justice (PiS) received 36.16 percent and 20 seats. The right-wing Confederation party gained 12.08 percent (6 seats), the Third Way alliance (PSL and Poland 2050) scored 6.91 percent (3 seats), and the Left got 6.3 percent (3 seats).
Jurek expressed concern over what he perceives as a national crisis, stating, “A large part of society effectively agrees to an unprotected Poland, submissive to the desires of the European Union and careless about the family crisis.”
He said he believes the election result could encourage the government to radicalize its retaliatory and divisive policies. Jurek emphasized the urgent need to sway voters who supported the governing coalition, focusing on “centrist circles,” those associated with the government not due to support for its policies, but primarily grievances against PiS.
Highlighting a few modest positives, Jurek noted the Confederation’s third place as an achievement and the weak performance of the far left.
“The Confederation’s win over the Third Way and the Left is also a strong signal to PiS that it must represent the right-wing opinion, which has options and will not allow itself to be ignored,” writes Jurek. “PiS must not only think about how to return to power but, more importantly, how to halt the deep crisis of national life,” he said.
Furthermore, he criticized the replacement of respected politicians with propagandists, which he argues does not help address the profound national life crisis. “Such strategic thinking is not served by replacing politicians like Zdzisław Krasnodębski with propagandists such as Dominik Tarczyński or Jacek Kurski. And we all must realize that politics is too serious a matter to be left in the hands of party centrists,” concludes Marek Jurek.
