The legislative elections of October 15, 2023 – unexpectedly won by the liberal coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk – were considered the most important since the fall of communism in Poland. The presidential election on May 18 and June 1 is equally significant, as it represents the second round of what was initiated then: a liberal counter-revolution after eight years of a conservative revolution marked by the reactionary and authoritarian governance of the Law and Justice party (PiS) led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

It is worth recalling what has been universally hailed by European liberals as a democratic miracle. After two terms marked by blatant violations of the Constitution and principles of the rule of law, a coalition composed of liberals, Christian conservatives and left-wing parties returned to power, despite the entire state apparatus being mobilized against them. A third PiS victory would have likely anchored Poland permanently in an authoritarian system, similar to those established in Hungary or Turkey.

In a Europe grappling with the rise of populism, this democratic feat was all the more remarkable. However, this revolution remained unfinished, as the so-called "October 15" coalition got entangled in a tumultuous cohabitation with President Andrzej Duda, from the PiS, who positioned himself as a staunch defender of his party's legacy, using his veto power to block any institutional reforms aimed at restoring the rule of law or progressing civil rights.

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