Many claim the Polish election this year to be one of the most dramatic since the end of Communism in 1989. There was – by Polish standards – a very high voter turnout at about 55 per cent.
Many young people flooded the polls dismayed at the state of politics in their country and turned off by the “hard-man” image of the Kaczynski Law and Justice party. It is not yet clear what this means for protection of the environment, but hopefully the new Government will take these issues more seriously. Its view of the EU is more positive, indicating a greater willingness to follow EU regulations.
In the Polish election this Sunday, the Law and Justice party (PiS) led by the Kaczynski twins was defeated by the Civic Platform party (PO) led by Donald Tusk with about 10 per cent. The current sentiment is that this change of government can bring about a shift in the way that Poland relates to the European Union and that laws and policies are shaped in the coming years. In the past two years under Kaczynski rule, Poland has been accused of being abrasive and anything but collaborative. The current dispute over the cod fishing ban with the European Commission is a good example of the Government’s tactics. Other areas of contention are questions of sovereignty, abortion, homosexual rights and the death penalty.
Lech Kaczynski will remain the President, who – according to the Polish Daily Dziennik – will respect any democratically elected government, but may use his presidential veto to block the elimination or reversal of laws he and his brother put in place. To overrule the presidential veto, the new Government will need the support of 60 per cent of the Parliament. This will not be impossible, as it is predicted that the Civic Platform will form a coalition with the Peasants Party Alliance (PSL), securing more than half of the seats in the Parliament. The remaining votes will have to be earned through an appeal to a third party – Left and Democrats (LiD) – led by ex-president Aleksander Kwasniewski, a vigorous opponent of Kaczynski politics. The three parties definitely carry the will and the power to discredit Lech Kaczynski despite political differences, potentially making him a powerless political puppet.
At this point, the new Government’s environmental platform is largely an unknown. However, a poll conducted by Greenpeace Poland, reveals Civic Platform support of the following environmental initiatives: reduction of greenhouse gases, increase of renewable energy sources, anti-GMO initiatives and promotion of organic food products, nature protection through designation of Natura 2000 areas under the Habitats Directive, creation of marine reserves in the Baltic Sea, decrease of the devastating waste and pollution of waterways, as well as protection of whales. According to Greenpeace representative Katarzyna Bubel it is not very clear how this will be put into practice, but based on current declarations of the Civic Platform the future of Poland is likely to be more environmentally sustainable.