Poland expected to turn inward under right-wing party

Arguably one of Poland’s most well-known politicians, he is regarded by many as a staunch defender of Catholic values but remains a divisive figure in Polish politics. But even though the Polish economy has grown by almost 50 percent over the past 10 years, voters thought it was time for a change.

And Europe should listen to them.

Poland’s election results are “a big disappointment” to those who seek tolerance in the country, a Polish-born American Jewish historian said Monday, a day after the conservative Law and Justice party won a crushing election victory. For that reason, Law and Justice’s 39 percent is being regarded as a surprisingly strong signal.

The ruling pro-European Civic Platform party received 23 percent of the vote.

The tactic worked and he repeated it by nominating Beata Szydlo as candidate for prime minister. But Law & Justice is more hardline and less diplomatic, especially since the 2010 plane crash in which Mr. Kaczyński’s twin brother, Lech, died along with dozens of government officials.

During the campaign Kaczynski said that migrants could carry unsafe diseases to Europe, words that sparked sharp accusations that he was using language similar to that of Nazi Germany. We have to give the party a chance. Europe should be prepared for similar surprises elsewhere.

Conservative Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Justice candidate for the Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, left, deliver speeches at the party’s headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday, Oct.25, 2015. They have two sons – one is studying to become a Catholic priest, the other a doctor. The only projects supporting civil society and independent media in Belarus where the projects started up in the period of Law and Justice rule in 2005 – 2007. Although the level of support still differed widely between the east and west, many experts were surprised by the party’s growing popularity in the west. Not surprisingly, therefore, it accused the Civic Platform government of betraying its Central European allies and violating national sovereignty by taking decisions under EU pressure that might undermine Polish culture and security without the agreement of the nation.

A pricklier relationship with Germany?

Poland is Europe’s swing player. Working or middle-class citizens will supposedly receive more benefits in the coming years.

In the long term, however, that might backfire: “Faced with so many signs of a new, interventionist approach, investors may conclude that as Poland tilts towards nationalism, their best bet is to tilt away from Poland“, Reuters columnist Dominic Elliott concluded.

The party, which opposes Poland’s entry into the euro, also wants to increase public spending and get the central bank to pump 350 billion zlotys (82 billion euros or $91 billion) over the next six years into the economy, a policy that could roil markets and create concern over central bank independence. Kukiz told Radio Zet he did not plan to enter a coalition, but Polish political commentators assume that Law and Justice will be able to count on at least a few of the group’s MPs in parliament. It is also not a big fan of the European Union in general and could prevent an agreement on a united climate-change policy.

Will voters in other countries follow? .

The migrant crisis has led to a boost in support for hard-right parties in countries including Sweden and the Netherlands.

But while PiS victory will have an immediate impact on domestic policy, the new government could also cause a wide-ranging shift on foreign affairs, from relations with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to Russian Federation to the European Union – and most notably, with Germany. PiS also performed well across nearly the entire country, flying in the face of the traditional divide between liberal western Poland and the more conservative east. It won in nearly all voivodeships (states), including PO strongholds such as Mazowieckie, including Warsaw, driving the PO back into only Opolskie and Pomorskie.