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Is Poland becoming more authoritarian?

Politiko 2022-12-09 08:43:10

Is Poland becoming more authoritarian?

The alarm is sounding about authoritarianism in Poland. A report says democracy is faltering and that key institutions are "severely slipping".

That means the government has undermined some of the fundamental rights and freedoms that underpin Poland's political system, according to the report's authors, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).

Examples are the decline of media independence and Poland's judicial system. There is also an "alarming increase in wiretapping", with the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party embroiled in a wiretapping scandal for the violent suppression of protests.

In October, police were criticized for arresting protesters at a nationalist rally, while failing to respond to the illegal use of Nazi symbols by other demonstrators.

"Extraordinary situation at the border"

All this is set against the backdrop of a regional refugee crisis. Amid regional geo-political tensions in 2021, Belarus was accused of starting to push refugees and migrants across its borders into Poland and other neighboring EU states in an apparent attempt to destabilize the bloc.

"Holding power is tempting"

Soon after PiS formed a majority government in 2015, they began reforming the judicial system, changing the way judges were appointed and managed, leading to accusations that the independence of the judiciary, a key pillar of democracy, was being undermined.

In 2019, PiS introduced a new law that allows the government to fire judges or cut their salaries for speaking out against the legislation.

In 2021, Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog, declared a "state of emergency for press freedom in Poland," citing how the state has brought about suppression of independent media.

Source: Euronews

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