A prominent European lawmaker, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, commented on social media about Tomasz Sawczuk’s analysis published in Kultura Liberalna, which argued that PiS understands why it suffered a defeat. The Polish MEP expressed disagreement with the publicist’s assessment that Jarosław Kaczyński’s party failed to recognize its own mistakes.
“Good score”
On the X platform, Saryusz-Wolski suggested that PiS’s result should be seen as a solid outcome. He asserted that the party did not lose power entirely, but would need a coalition partner to govern effectively in the European setting.
There is no winning party in the European Union that can govern alone, he added, noting that in the current environment, the bloc requires broad, cross-party coalitions.
The MEP argued that PiS’s result, about 35 percent after two terms, reflected a range of pressures from governing challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and economic strains. He argued the tally represented a strong showing given these headwinds and the political fatigue many voters experience.
He also suggested that in the EU, a single party can be removed from power by a broad coalition opposing that party. If any error existed, it would be the absence of a coalition partner, assuming such a partnership was even feasible.
“Post-Communist Reflection”
Addressing the party’s challenge in forming a stable parliamentary majority, Saryusz-Wolski described the opposition bloc as united mainly by antipathy toward PiS and by what he called a post-communist legacy and reflexes. The opposition, in his view, is held together not by cohesive programs but by historical resentments, a situation he labeled an anti-democratic anomaly that echoes across Europe.
His theory posits that post-communism and its deep state could endure and reappear like a boomerang for as long as the period of communism lasted, leaving Poland with a political landscape that could persist for decades to come, according to his assessment.
Several concerns, according to the lawmaker, revolve around the evolving geopolitical environment and structural shifts within the European Union. He warned that any federalist pushes in Brussels might challenge Poland’s self-determination, especially if a government allied with Donald Tusk had a significant say in future EU governance.
The current moment, he noted, is marked by a mix of uniqueness and misfortune. It could bring changes in Poland’s political system and the EU, possibly giving rise to what he described as a European oligarchic, hegemonist, anti-democratic super-state that sidesteps citizen input through elite coordination. He suggested that the opposition appears ready to welcome such reforms during crucial testing times.
According to Saryusz-Wolski, the present era demands existential decisions for Poland, framed by a potential restructuring of both the national system and EU treaties. He argued that the launch of a new treaty framework could arrive at a moment when national institutions and the European project are in flux, potentially altering the balance of power in ways that could marginalize national voices.
He warned that public sentiment and political elites in the EU might not fully grasp the ongoing political revolution, which he believed is developing quietly in social discourse and media spaces. He underscored the urgency of national self-determination in this evolving environment.
In closing, Saryusz-Wolski questioned whether Poland should relinquish crucial decisions to external authorities, asking whether there is still room for national autonomy in decisions that affect the country’s future. He framed the final question as unresolved and pointed to the need for active national involvement in shaping policy directions.
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