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AbstractAfter a lengthy and intense electoral campaign, which culminated in two opposition‐led mass protest marches in Warsaw in June and October, Polish citizens cast their votes in a parliamentary election on 15 October. The ruling Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) party faced in the election a broad alliance of the so‐called democratic opposition parties. The latter contested the election in three blocs, the liberal Civic Coalition (Koalicja Obywatelska), the moderately conservative Third Way, composed of the Polish Peasant Party (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe) and Poland 2050, and the New Left coalition. The parties of this alliance won together a majority of seats in both chambers of the legislature and formed a coalition government. This seemingly ended the process of democratic backsliding that had been progressing over the eight‐year‐long period of the PiS rule. However, the controversies regarding control over the public broadcasting media that erupted in December exposed the difficulties in reversing past departures from the rule of law.

AbstractThe Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a flow of refugees to Poland on a scale unprecedented in Europe since Second World War. Polish civil society, soon joined by government institutions, responded by offering the refugees, who counted in millions, shelter, material and social welfare assistance and legal accommodation. The war next door turned Poland into an EU and NATO frontline country, which led to more intense contacts between the Polish government and its Western partners, including the United States. This, however, did not help the government, which had marginalized itself within the EU by its own past actions, to resolve its disputes with the European Commission and the Court of Justice. Similarly, the uniform condemnation of the Russian aggression by all major political parties did not bridge the gap between the governing Law and Justice party and the opposition or even reduce the intensity of political conflicts.

AbstractThe democratic backsliding, which began in Poland after the ascent to power of the Law and Justice/Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) party in 2015, continued in 2021. The Polish government maintained its confrontational attitude toward European institutions, from the European Commission to the European Parliament and the European Union's Court of Justice. The latter imposed on Poland a daily fine of €1 million for the government's refusal to reverse reforms of the judiciary that put into question the independence of judges. On the domestic front, the ruling camp underwent a series of internal frictions that jeopardized its majority in the lower house (Sejm), but it preserved a slim majority by co‐opting dissenters from other parliamentary caucuses and independents. The government's actions on the Polish–Belarussian border to prevent Middle Eastern refugees entering the country, and hence the EU, were a serious departure from international law principles.

The role of political parties on the political scene of the biggest Polish cities has been described. The discussion on the significance of political parties at the local level and changes, which are happening to them, including the decreasing membership, the increasing state of dependency and new preferences of voters has been described. On the basis of data, received from the research, that was conducted in 12 biggest cities in Poland — is shown, that the national parties are leading actors in cities' politics and their role — which is criticized by non-partisan politics and thrown into doubt on systemic level — only seems to be growing. ; The role of political parties on the political scene of the biggest Polish cities has been described. The discussion on the significance of political parties at the local level and changes, which are happening to them, including the decreasing membership, the increasing state of dependency and new preferences of voters has been described. On the basis of data, received from the research, that was conducted in 12 biggest cities in Poland — is shown, that the national parties are leading actors in cities' politics and their role — which is criticized by non-partisan politics and thrown into doubt on systemic level — only seems to be growing.