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The Great Awakening

2023 was a turning point. Interest in politics among young Poles has clearly increased, with nearly one-third reporting a high or very high level of interest. The rapid surge in political interest and social participation was no accident; young Poles felt anger and frustration. We experienced inflation, rising prices, and higher living costs, leading to deep disillusionment with government policies. For many young voters, including me, casting a ballot in the 2023 parliamentary elections was a way to support progressive and socially liberal parties. The vote was intended to be an expression of disagreement with government policy – a way to formally rebel against a government rhetoric characterised by traditionalism and conservatism. But most of all, all of us across age groups and backgrounds were scared of what our country was turning into – a flawed democracy.

Many of my peers feared that democratic procedures would be violated. According to a United Surveys study for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna and RMF FM, 41.2% of Poles shared the fear that the election results could be manipulated or falsified.

This anxiety was particularly high among opposition supporters, who felt a profound lack of trust in the state institutions overseeing the vote. But we were so determined. We wouldn’t let them do that. A record number of citizens volunteered as election observers. Ten days before the election, the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), a grassroots movement founded in 2015 to protect the rule of law, had already recruited 25,000 volunteers to serve as election observers. It felt like sending a message to the ones upstairs, saying: “We are watching you.”

 

The Change is Coming

Two weeks before the crucial elections, the United Opposition’s leader, Donald Tusk, called citizens to a rally in Warsaw. My friends and I boarded an overpacked train from Lublin to Warsaw. We could feel the unique atmosphere filling the overcrowded wagons. People of all ages held both Polish and EU flags, smiling, talking, and laughing. The march took hours. There were so many of us that, at times, we stood at a standstill, buried in the crowd, trying to turn onto a new street. Now, slightly over two years later, my memory is a tad blurry. I remember, however, the feeling of patriotism that rushed through my mind, a rather unique feeling for a left-leaning Pole. In Poland, patriotism has been hijacked by nationalism; some use these words interchangeably.

 

“A breakthrough moment is coming in the history of our homeland. Let no one among the ruling team have any illusions. Change for the better is inevitable.”

— Donald Tusk, March of a Million Hearts, October 2023

Did the change come, though?

“Definitely not. Above all, the new government failed to fulfil almost any of its promises; it seems like winning the election actually caught them by surprise, because almost nothing happened during the first few months. Among my peers, there’s a prevailing sense of discouragement and a conviction that very little has changed.”

— Jakub, 24

 

“I believe the majority of young people expected the liberalisation of abortion laws, the introduction of civil partnerships, the restoration of the judicial system, and a solution to the housing crisis. The current government has failed to implement a single solution regarding any of these issues.”

— Aleksandra, 23

 

“Absolutely not. Young people want a modern, European state where matters such as abortion, euthanasia, and LGBTQ+ rights are treated as civilised. The ruling coalition largely supports ‘pathological’ housing development. They don’t give a damn about these problems.”

— Kacper, 24

 

During the 2023 campaign, Donald Tusk released a list of 100 policies that his government would fulfil in 100 days. As of December 2025, the government has fully implemented only 17 of them, one of the most successful being the unlocking of funds from the European Union’s post-COVID Recovery Plan. A survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Centre indicates that currently, only 33% of Poles hold a favourable opinion of the government.

A Right-Wing Turn

The official turnout for the 2025 presidential election stood at 71.63%, beating the all-time record for a presidential race. Yet again, all eyes were on Poland. Who would the nation pick? The progressive, pro-European Rafał Trzaskowski, or the hardline nationalist, Karol Nawrocki?

Months into the campaign, more and more skeletons came out of Karol Nawrocki’s closet. The conservative candidate was accused of procuring prostitutes for guests at Sopot’s Grand Hotel while working as a security guard, allegations confirmed by journalists from the portal Onet.pl. Another investigation revealed that in 2009, Nawrocki participated in a large-scale, illegal, pre-arranged street fight between radical supporters of Lechia Gdańsk and Lech Poznań – a fact he later confirmed, describing it as “noble, masculine combat.”

“Many say that Nawrocki did not win as much as Trzaskowski lost.”

— Kacper, 24

Despite the scandals, Nawrocki won the presidential race by a slim majority of 50.89%. Voters surveyed accused Trzaskowski of focusing too heavily on rival-bashing at the expense of his own platform. His perceived ambiguity on controversial topics ultimately left many feeling he stood for nothing.

 

A Shattered Front

The ruling coalition is bleeding out. Public disapproval is mounting, and the latest polling by Politico suggests a grim reality: two of the government’s junior partners (Polska 2050 and PSL) are now sinking, struggling to secure even the 5% electoral threshold. At the same time, the far-right Konfederacja and Konfederacja Korony Polskiej (KKP) are growing in support. Both parties are radical, largely eurosceptic, and deeply conservative on social issues. According to the Important Matters Foundation’s State of Youth 2025 study, Konfederacja would emerge as the leading party among young voters, securing 26% of respondents’ support.

 

“We don’t want Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxes, and the European Union.”

— Sławomir Mentzen, co-leader of Konfederacja,  2019

 

Those were the exact words used in 2019 during a discussion of campaign strategy. Today, Mentzen attempts to frame that speech as a “youthful mistake,” shifting his public focus toward liberal economic reforms. Yet, beneath the viral TikTok-friendly videos, the party’s core remains unchanged. In 2025, when videos of a Gdańsk mosque surfaced online showing local Muslims, including Polish Tatars, gathering for holiday prayers, Mentzen gave a disturbing statement:

“We must immediately close the border to immigrants from Muslim countries! … We must begin deportations instead of trying to integrate them!”

— Sławomir Mentzen, co-leader of Konfederacja,  2019

 

Why would young Poles turn towards traditionalist Konfederacja, while only a few years back opting for a largely liberal reform? That is the result of failing to keep the majority of the promises of the 2023 campaign. Young Poles continue to struggle with high prices amid the cost-of-living crisis spreading across Europe. A survey by Habitat for Humanity Poland suggests that 60% of Polish citizens spend more than 30% of their salary on rent and other housing-related costs. Traditionalism and conservatism prevailed, with Tusk fearing he might lose the support of more right-leaning voters, who abstained from openly implementing liberal reforms.

Is this really what the future of Poland is going to look like? Perhaps, if the ruling coalition continues to turn a blind eye to the alarming polls. Young people feel there is no other option left other than what’s left, and that’s the radical parties.

 

Nearly 81% of young citizens are convinced that

The government prioritises older citizens in their policies.

 

It is not necessarily a right-wing turn, but rather a call for the government to start paying attention to our interests. One thing is certain: we cannot allow the far-right to become the new normal.  It’s time to wake up, Prime Minister. Before it’s too late.

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