Poland will have to hold a second round of presidential elections. The acting head of state Andrzej Duda and the mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Tshaskovsky, enter it. Surveys at the exit from the plots showed that Duda leads mainly in the provinces, and Tshaskovsky – in large cities.
Gigantic bursts of long streets. A maximum of four people are allowed into polling stations. We have to wait in the open. Many do not stand up and pass out.
The country is torn by contradictions, and the turnout is higher than in the 2015 presidential election.
“Poland is terribly divided. So I’m even surprised that so many people are disciplined for the election.”
“In the face of what is happening, the country needs stability. Political experiments are dangerous for the state, especially in times of crisis.”
And this is the main argument of the current president, Andrzej Duda. But his actions just undermine this very stability. Duda is doing everything to turn Poland into a US military training ground in Europe.
Voters were given little time to react somehow. Four days before the election, Duda went to Washington and there he agreed on everything with Donald Trump – both about the transfer of an additional military contingent, and about new deliveries of American weapons. Warsaw is ready to shell out tens of billions of dollars for this.
“Poland has already fit into American plans for Europe. Poland has already seen its chance to become East European Great Britain. It will be the center of political influence on Europe, and especially Germany. Polish analysts call Germany free riders and dream of a time when American missiles and troops will move from Germany to Poland, “says Kirill Koktysh, assistant professor of political theory at MGIMO.
According to experts, the main line of split in Polish society is also the European Union and Russia.
Duda’s radicalism has bothered many. His main rival, the mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Tshaskovsky, advocates pragmatic relations with both Brussels and Moscow. He recently stated that he was open to negotiations with Russia, and called the Poles and Russians the great nations that were always close.
“From the point of view of other areas, for example, the economy, a turn towards Russia is quite possible, at least more pragmatic relations are possible. It can be integrated into the EU group that stands for good relations with Russia and really believes that Russia is big a neighbor to be reckoned with, “says Oksana Petrovskaya, doctor of historical sciences, expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies.
The ruling party “Law and Justice” very much hoped to hold elections on May 10; then Andrzej Duda had record high ratings. But everything went wrong, as a result, he failed to gain 50 percent in the first round to win.
Moreover, the mayor of Warsaw showed a very high result. Most likely, Tshaskovsky and Duda will fight in the second round. It will take place in two weeks and promises to be even more unpredictable.
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