Professor Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, who has been nominated to be a member of the Russian influence parliamentary commission, believes there is ample evidence that the effects of historic Russian influence in Polish politics were considerable and have still to be fully countered.
Speaking to Polish media, vel Grajewski claimed that the commission is needed for the Polish state to be able to defend itself and block future Russian attempts to control the nation.
The political scientist pointed to Estonia, where the intelligence services monitor Russian influence and publish the results of their work as a good example of a system that counters Russian influence with cross-party support.
However, he acknowledged that the polarized nature of Poland’s political scene makes that hard to emulate. This is why vel Grajewski believes that in Poland there will be a need to appeal directly to the public.
“This can be done by openly showing the results of the work of the commission, so that in future elections the public has the knowledge it needs before voting,” vel Grajewski said.
He conceded that the commission will not be ready to provide such conclusions before the election taking place on Oct. 15.
Vel Grajewski explained that it is not the job of the commission to act as prosecutor. The job of removing people from office and other legal sanctions will be carried out by the courts, but most important of all is the public exposure of Russian influence.
The commission was established by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party to check whether between 2007 and 2022 politicians had made decisions under Russia’s influence that could threaten Poland’s security.
All nine candidates were named by Law and Justice. The opposition did not participate in the process, nor in the vote in the lower house. In separate votes, the candidates were confirmed by the ruling party lawmakers, who control a majority in the house.
