Krakow, Poland – As Adrian Zandberg, chief of Poland’s left-wing Razem (Collectively) social gathering, ready to talk to the massive crowd at his rally in one in all Krakow’s central squares on Wednesday this week, he wasn’t simply on the point of contest Sunday’s presidential election.
Talking with a revolutionary zeal to the cheering crowd, Zandberg put ahead his beliefs: High quality public companies, inexpensive housing for all, funding in schooling and science and the tip to a poisonous right-wing duopoly in Polish politics.
Zandberg is one in all two presidential hopefuls of Poland’s left – the opposite is Magdalena Biejat of the Lewica (The Left) social gathering. Between the 2 of them, they symbolize a political drive that has lengthy remained on the margins of politics. Sunday’s contest can also be a combat for the management of this motion which is common with city, typically youthful individuals.
Opinion polls recommend that the ultimate presidential battle – first-round voting takes place on Sunday – will probably be between the 2 favourites, Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki, representatives of right-wing events Civic Platform and Regulation and Justice (PiS) which have dominated the nation’s political scene for the previous 20 years.
However, Zandberg was assured and filled with ardour as he addressed his supporters.
“I imagine that we are able to construct a distinct, higher Poland. I imagine that we are able to afford for Poland to change into a rustic with respectable public companies,” he declared. “That we are able to afford for individuals within the twentieth financial system on the earth to cease dying in line to see a health care provider. That we are able to afford for younger, hard-working individuals to have the ability to lease a roof over their heads for a standard value, in order that they’ll afford to start out a household.”
Calling the present system “unconstitutional” and one which “explodes with inequalities”, he referred to as for a change. The system, he stated, “is a menace to the way forward for Poland”.
Like different left-wing politicians, he has been a staunch critic of the neoliberal views of the 2 major candidates, their lack of dedication to securing inexpensive housing for individuals (which is a constitutional proper), makes an attempt to privatise the healthcare system, and their seeming embrace of rising anti-migrant sentiment throughout the nation.
Having a ‘actual’ impact on Polish politics
The day earlier than, in one other sq. in central Krakow, Biejat, Zandberg’s major competitor for the hearts and minds of Poland’s left and deputy marshal of the Senate, stood earlier than her personal crowd of supporters. In contrast to Zandberg’s Razem, her social gathering, Lewica, is a part of the ruling Civic Coalition together with the centre-right Civic Platform.
Lewica’s resolution to enter the coalition authorities in late 2023 prompted criticism amongst some on the left, and has change into the primary bone of rivalry between the 2 leftist presidential candidates.
Talking at her rally on Tuesday, Biejat defended the choice to hitch the coalition as the appropriate one. In accordance with her, it has allowed her social gathering to have an actual impact on politics in Poland.
She listed their achievements: “It’s due to Lewica being within the authorities that we managed to introduce a pension complement for widows. We managed to introduce a pilot programme which shortened working hours. We managed to extend the funeral allowance,” Biejat stated.
“We’ve got modified the definition of rape, so that ladies not have to elucidate to the judges that it was not their fault that somebody had damage them. Due to us, dad and mom of untimely infants have obtained extra depart days for every week spent in hospital with a small youngster.”
The Krakow crowd, albeit smaller than Zandberg’s, cheered Biejat’s declarations of assist for the rights of ladies, LGBTQ individuals and people with disabilities and for inexpensive housing.
A fragile resurgence?
The 2-term presidency of the left-wing Aleksander Kwasniewsk, an impartial but additionally one of many founders of the Democratic Left Alliance, was extremely profitable. Underneath his presidency, which resulted in 2005, Poland joined NATO and the European Union and launched a brand new structure. Since his departure, nevertheless, the left has been in disaster.
Whereas the beliefs of the left-wing candidates barely differ from these of left-wing candidates in different European international locations, their enchantment in Poland is restricted nowadays as individuals have change into disillusioned with immigration, and resentment in the direction of the a million Ukrainian refugees taking shelter from the battle with Russia has grown. In accordance with Politico’s newest combination ballot, the 2 leftist candidates are every anticipated to win 5 p.c of the vote.
In the newest European election in 2024, Lewica secured simply 6.3 p.c of the vote, the bottom rating in its historical past. In the newest parliamentary elections of 2023, the social gathering secured simply 5.3 p.c of the vote. The query now’s whether or not leftist events can begin to make a comeback.
Some observers see indicators of a attainable resurgence – however it’s fragile.
“Any end result above 5 p.c for every of the candidates [in the upcoming presidential contest] could be a great rating. And beneath 4 p.c – a nasty one,” stated Bartosz Rydlinski, a political scientist at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski College in Warsaw.
He credit Zandberg with “restarting the Razem social gathering venture” by interesting to youthful voters. “Current research present that he’s competing with Slawomir Mentzen [the highly popular ultraconservative and free-market-enthusiast leader of the Confederation Party] to be primary among the many youngest voters.
“Magdalena Biejat, on her half, represents ladies from the center class, residing in giant cities. She is their mirror picture. The election will present which one in all them is extra common,” Rydlinski stated.
Restricted enchantment
On the final presidential election 5 years in the past, Robert Biedron of Lewica, who now serves as a Polish member of the European parliament (MEP), received simply 2.2 p.c of the vote. This time round, the left is predicted to do higher, however its enchantment stays restricted.
In accordance with consultants, the left has misplaced a lot of its conventional assist base to the nationalist conservative Regulation and Justice (PiS) social gathering, which attracted voters with beneficiant welfare packages. On this presidential election, Karol Nawrocki, who’s backed by PiS, is predicted to take 25 p.c of the vote within the first spherical, in line with Politico’s combination ballot.
That is although Nawrocki has deserted Regulation and Justice’s dedication to social welfare and has embraced free-market pondering with a concentrate on strengthening an alliance with the US whereas distancing Poland from the EU.
His major competitor,Rafał Trzaskowski of the centre-right Civic Platform, is polling at 31 p.c.
“The left is constantly making an attempt to win again pro-social Regulation and Justice voters, however to this point it has failed,” Jakub Majmurek, a commentator on the left-wing Krytyka Polityczna media outlet, informed Al Jazeera. “Initially, as a result of these voters are sometimes calculating and really feel that the Regulation and Justice is a way more credible welfare supplier than the weak left.
“Second, these voters are largely pro-church and rather more conservative in the case of social points than the left.”
A great end result for the left within the Sunday election may have the impact of bringing left-wing politics again to the agenda, analysts say, and make some inroads into reversing the long-term pattern of far-right and centre-right politicians dominating authorities.
“If the mixed results of Biejat and Zandberg is round 10 p.c, within the second election spherical, Trzaskowski and even Nawrocki should attempt to declare this left-wing citizens in some way,” Majmurek defined.
“That might be one of the best situation for the left. Particularly if each candidates obtain an identical proportion of the vote. That might present that none of them is a hegemon and can’t construct the left with out the opposite.”
