About: polish elections Archives

Rolling Stones legendary frontman Mick Jagger touched on Poland's controversial judicial reforms at a concert yesterday (8 July) in Warsaw, after anti-communist freedom icon Lech Walesa urged the rockers to support Poles "defending freedom" over court changes that critics say undermine democracy.

Poland's media regulator has fined a major news channel over alleged biased coverage of anti-government protests in December 2016, and the broadcaster TVN24 vowed on Tuesday (12 December) to appeal.

Dorota Bawołek, a respected Brussels journalist, has been the target of hundreds of insulting and threatening messages on social media, after state-controlled Polish TV said she asked the European Commission politically motivated questions with intent “to harm Poland”.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday (24 May) he wants to hold a referendum in November 2018 on whether to change the country's 20-year-old constitution, although it was not clear what kind of changes he was seeking.

Poland should treat EU president Donald Tusk in a dignified manner, the European Commission said today (20 April), after the former Polish premier was grilled for eight hours in Warsaw in an intelligence probe.

European Council President Donald Tusk testified for eight hours in Warsaw on Wednesday (19 April) as a witness in an investigation of two former military counter-intelligence chiefs accused of overstepping their duties.

Poland warned fellow European Union leaders yesterday (9 March) that their decision to reappoint former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to chair their summits was a step toward the disintegration of the 28-member bloc.

A row over Poland's bid to replace EU President Donald Tusk threatens to overshadow a summit this week that was meant to focus on post-Brexit unity.

The European Commission will consult with EU member states on whether to take further action against Poland in a dispute over the rule of law that has lasted more than a year, officials said yesterday (22 February).

Poland dismissed on Monday (20 February) demands that it implement judiciary reforms deemed essential by the European Commission to uphold the rule of law.

Donald Tusk suffered another attack from Poland's populist government on Monday (2 January), when Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski told Krakow radio station RMF FM that he was an “icon of evil and stupidity” and that he should stay “far away from Poland”.

Poland's foreign ministry on Thursday (22 December) dismissed the EU's latest warning that changes to the country's constitutional court pose a serious challenge to the rule of law.

Polish President Andrzej Duda yesterday (19 December) announced that the governing conservatives have scrapped controversial proposals to restrict media access in parliament that had fuelled opposition outcry and street demonstrations.

European Council President Donald Tusk weighed in on Poland's political crisis on Saturday (17 December), urging the ruling party to respect the constitution, the voters and the democratic process, as two days of anti-government protests spread from Warsaw to two other cities.

Poland's populist-dominated parliament has passed a law restricting public meetings which was slammed by the opposition as being anti-democratic, media reports said yesterday (14 December).

The 8-9 July NATO summit in Warsaw was clearly a success for the alliance, in light of rising tensions with Russia. However, Polish politicians are set to use it as another pretext for infighting, exacerbating internal divisions within the country. EURACTIV Poland reports.

Poland's eurosceptic government has long said it would like Poles living in Britain to return home, but it is now promising to fight for their right to stay after the British vote to leave the European Union.

Following the Law and Justice (PiS) party's victory in the 2015 elections, conspiracy theories resurfaced in Poland about the 2010 Smolensk crash, which killed President Lech Kaczyński, the brother of the new ruling party's chief, Jaroslaw Kaczyński. EURACTIV Poland reports.

While the recently-elected right wing Law and Justice Party [PiS] is taking advantage of its parliamentary majority to undermine Poland’s constitutional order and increase control over public media, it will fade into insignificance even faster than its predecessors, writes Andrzej Ancygier.

Council President Donald Tusk and the Polish President Andrzej Duda urged calm on Monday (18 January) after the EU launched an unprecedented probe to determine if controversial legal changes in Poland violated democratic norms.

One could be critical of the Polish government’s actions, and one could disagree with them. But it’s a completely different thing to call them undemocratic, Piotr Maciej Kaczy?ski told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities around Poland on Saturday (9 January) to protest against a new law giving the conservative government control of state media.

Polish President Andrzej Duda yesterday (7 January) signed into law a controversial bill handing the conservative government control of state media, despite EU concern and condemnation from rights watchdogs.

Polish President Andrzej Duda will visit Brussels on 18 January following a planned European Commission debate on the rule of law in Poland, whose government has sparked concern by pushing through controversial changes to the judiciary and media.