Parliamentary and Senate Election Poland 2023

Poland at a crossroads. Is Germany’s eastern neighbor moving further to the right? The incumbent national-conservative PiS (Law and Justice) party recently faced pressure due to high inflation and numerous scandals. At the same time, the party led by Jarosław Kaczyński, which has been in power since 2015, remains popular among many Poles due to an expansion of the welfare state. Meanwhile, pressure from the EU over concerns about the rule of law in Poland is growing stronger. Brussels recently initiated infringement proceedings against the country, and the EU Parliament even calls for an OSCE election observer mission due to fears of election manipulation. With current polling at around 15 percent, the ultra-right Confederation party could potentially play a role in deciding the future leadership of this EU and NATO member. Many critics of the government are therefore concerned that the ruling national-conservatives may further restrict the opposition’s influence after the election. Concerns about the survival of democracy are growing, not only within Poland itself.