In spite of the complex historical relations between Ukrainians and Poles, Poland is now one of Ukraine’s closest partners. So it is alarming to note that Europe has been taking rather a dim view of Poland in the past few years. Many attribute the country’s tarnished image to the rise to power of twin brothers Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who assumed the offices of president and prime minister, respectively.
Many articles in the international mass media have leveled criticism at the Polish leadership. William Underhill’s article “The Terrible Twins” was recently in the US weekly Newsweek. “Yet the party’s leadership is now locked in conflict with the country’s doctors and nurses, currently on strike over pay and conditions. At the same time, the twins have clashed with hard-liners in the Roman Catholic Church (another former support base)... Mainstream critics allege more serious offenses by the twins that seem utterly out of place in a modern European state. On the list: cramming the civil service with cronies, overriding the Constitution and botching moves to strip jobs from those linked with the Soviet-era regime,” Underhill writes.
The Kaczynski brothers’ policies are not very popular inside the country either. Many Poles objected when the ruling Law and Justice Party formed a coalition with the far-right parties Self Defense and League of Polish Families. This alliance proved to be not only unpopular but also short-lived. On July 9 the president dismissed Vice-Premier and Minister of Agriculture Andrzej Lepper, leader of Self Defense, the second largest party in the Cabinet of Ministers. Following this, Lepper announced that his party was withdrawing from the ruling coalition.
On July 10 the opposition parliamentary faction, the Democratic Left Alliance, proposed that the Sejm (Poland’s lower house of parliament) be dissolved and a snap election be called in order to overcome the political crisis. But the MPs rejected this proposal because they were too busy getting ready for the parliamentary recess.
Now it looks as though early parliamentary elections will be held in Poland after all. According to the Polish daily Nasz Dziennik, the Sejm is going to dissolve itself during the first session on Aug. 22, after the recess. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski will officially call early parliamentary elections on Sept. 30. Naturally, it remains to be seen if this scenario for resolving the political crisis in Poland will be implemented. But the very fact that the Polish government is ready to turn to voters to overcome this crisis is noteworthy.
Will there be early elections in Poland? Is Poland’s negative image in Europe affecting Ukraine, which maintains very close relations with Polish leaders in its aspirations to integrate into the European Union?
COMMENTARIES
Wojciech KONONCZUK, Center of Eastern Studies, Warsaw:
“It is quite possible that there will be early elections. There are constant crises in the ruling coalition. But I think that the latest one is the most serious to date. In all probability, we will not know the election date tomorrow or the day after. I would like to point out something else: this is the first time that serious foreign publications are quoting a marginal Polish newspaper.
“As for the article “The Terrible Twins,” Poland really does have a bad image in Europe. This is a delicate subject and I would not like to comment on it. I fully admit that Poland’s poor image can affect Europe’s vision of Ukraine, which is striving to join the European Union.
“Some experts believe that the Polish position in Europe is weakening, and this should alarm Ukraine. Kyiv needs a strong and influential Poland in the European Union, which could push Ukraine along the path toward European integration. I am not sure that President Viktor Yushchenko can influence Poland’s head of state, Lech Kaczynski, in some way. Still, I think that when they meet, they can discuss things without journalists present.”
Grzegorz GROMADSKI, director of international cooperation programs, Stefan Batory Foundation:
“The announcement of the early election date is evidence of a political struggle in Poland. There is nothing to be afraid of because such things also occur in other European Union member states.
“As for Poland’s domestic policies, there really is a problem in the ruling coalition. The ruling party of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is contemplating a snap parliamentary election. I see nothing special in the fact that an obscure newspaper has described the way the early elections will be called. All Polish papers are now writing about the likely scenario of early elections.
“As for the Newsweek article and Poland’s negative image in Europe, much depends on the political views of the Polish political elite, experts, and journalists. Some of them say: yes, we are suffering from our image in the European Union, which is worse than it was a few years ago. Meanwhile, others say that Poland is pursuing a good foreign policy. But if we look at what journalists are writing in Western Europe or the EU member states, then the picture really looks bad. It is obvious that newspapers in most EU member states are very critical of our government.
“In this connection, I would like to note the following. A country’s image is important. But one should also take into account another, more serious, factor that to some extent is linked to image — a country’s clout in the European Union. If the image is bad, the clout is weaker than it used to be. This is what can really present a serious problem for Ukraine. If we say that Poland is Ukraine’s lobbyist in the EU, and if Poland now has such a poor image and not so strong an influence in the European Union, this means that Polish lobbying is not as successful as it was two ore three years ago. Still, I must note that the latest European Parliament resolution on granting Ukraine EU membership prospects was drafted by Polish MEPs. It would be totally wrong to say that Poland has no possibilities to influence EU attitudes to Ukraine. But, unfortunately, our voice may not be as important now as it was before. This is what I call a problem.”
