Yesterday the internet reported that MP Urszula Augustyn invited three Platforma Obywatelska lawmakers to Wieliczka for a Monday meeting with voters. The invitees are Izabela Leszczyna, Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, and Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz. Such gatherings where members of parliament meet with constituents happen across the country, particularly as parliamentary elections approach in the fall.
OP still has no program
The invitation is noteworthy because it frames the meeting as a brainstorming session. The goal is for the invited MPs and participants to settle on three essential changes they cannot imagine Poland without, should PiS remain in power. This format has been dubbed a new project of the Platform, suggesting more sessions of this kind and involvement from other party members in the future.
Meanwhile, party leaders and its chairman, Donald Tusk, have stated that the Platform has a prepared program; only the details still need finalization. Some party figures have explained that revealing the full program would be problematic if the ruling United Right could implement parts of it ahead of the elections. On a private television program, MP Izabela Leszczyna described how the program should not be disclosed publicly and suggested that concrete proposals would be shared only after the election, sparking online debate where many viewers urged casting votes for the Platform as well.
Voters need to understand what the PO should do
The invitation indicates that Platform politicians are willing to discuss the election program with voters only during this late stage. Seven years in opposition appear to have delayed crafting a comprehensive program, and now voters are asked to consider what the PO would do if they win. Previously, at numerous campaign rallies, Platform leaders focused on slogans such as removing PiS from power, with occasional embellishments that hinted at stronger actions, including disturbances around occupied buildings or the leadership of the National Bank of Poland and the Constitutional Court. Typically, the party’s manifesto is presented by the chairman, who has sometimes shown intense emotion in public appearances.
PO strategy around Ukraine and energy costs
The Platform has leveraged themes around the war in Ukraine, rising energy prices, inflation, and coal supply issues stemming from the Russian coal embargo to criticize the government. Yet public sentiment shows that the government and society have offered substantial support to Ukraine, and Poland remains grateful to the Ukrainian people and to the broader international community. Energy prices have been adjusting, inflation has slowed in recent months, and coal is more affordable than in the prior heating season, while fuel prices have not surged despite tax changes at the start of the year.
Against this backdrop, the idea of a voter brainstorming session about how to proceed after a potential Platform victory emerged. However, this concept is not new; at a rally organized by a civic movement in late 2015, a noted director urged supporters to keep things as they were. For many Platform backers, the best outcome is to maintain the current state while pursuing policy directions aligned with their existing expectations, rather than embarking on wholesale changes.
In this context, the broader political conversation continues to center on how the Platform will chart its course in governance, how its proposals will be refined, and how voters will evaluate the path forward in the event of an election win. The ongoing debate reflects a mix of strategic messaging, public demonstrations, and careful planning about when and how to unveil a detailed policy program.