The United Right informed Polish voters of four questions that will be on the referendum, which is to be held together with the parliamentary elections. Liberal media in Poland immediately responded with widespread dismay at the ruling party, which is allowing citizens to voice their opinions on vital issues for Poland.
However, it seems that behind such a reaction to the idea of the referendum lies a certain fear of public opinion, a fear deeply rooted in the nature of the liberal elites of the Third Polish Republic.
I saw a similar reaction 10 years ago in Croatia. These elites simply have a deep-seated distrust of what people feel and think, and the idea that individuals can freely express these sentiments is both alarming and unsettling for them.
At that time, a citizen initiative “In the Name of the Family” began collecting signatures to call a referendum on the constitutional protection of marriage as a union between a woman and a man. Back then, the liberal-left elites of Croatia, much like now in Poland, tried to prove that a referendum is not necessarily a democratic way of decision-making. These so-called great democrats criticized the referendum, showing that democracy exists for them only when it suits their interests and political visions.
However, in Croatia, in 2013, this narrow understanding of democracy was defeated. People went to the referendum and voted in favor of the constitutional protection of marriage.
It is entirely possible that this false version of democracy offered to us by the liberal elites will be defeated in Poland in 2023 as well.
