Featured photo: Warsaw | © Kamil Gliwiński on Unsplash
The article first appeared on the Europa-Union Germany website.
The majority seems to have spoken out in favor of democracy and the rule of law, in favor of Europe and against chauvinistic populism. We still have to wait for the official final result. If the change of government were successful, it would be a bright ray of light breaking through the dark clouds that have enveloped Europe for years. Poland is not just any country in Europe. It is the largest Central Eastern European state. What happens there also has an impact on neighboring countries, especially on the other Visegrád states. The election victory of the pro-European opposition would be a sign of hope for all of Europe.
It was the Poles who freed themselves from the yoke of the communist dictatorship before the fall of the Berlin Wall and thus initiated the reunification of Europe. Perhaps it is now the people of this wonderful and so long-suffering European country who are initiating a turnaround against right-wing populism in Europe.
If this change occurs, it will be important to unite the deeply divided country. City against country, west against east – that would not be a solution. Finding a common vision for the future is a task that not only Poland faces. For democrats across Europe, this act of self-liberation would show that a reversal of the trend is possible. Even a strong AfD is not a law of nature. 'Poland is not lost yet' - and neither is Europe.
Europe actually needs more positive news. The question about the election in Poland is not just whether Donald Tusk Mateusz Morawiecki will replace, but also whether Donald Tusk could be a wolf in sheep's clothing?
This question arises Aleksandra Krzysztoszek in EURACTIV: https://www.euractiv.de/section/europa-kompakt/news/polen-koennte-donald-tusk-ein-wolf-im-schafspelz-sein