The Polish election of 2023
Mobilisation in Defence of Liberal Democracy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6407328 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Radosław Markowski (0000-0001-6018-3409, SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1670-1685 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | West European Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01402382.2024.2346436 |
| OpenAlex | W4396951050 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 23 |
| References cited | 11 |
The 2023 election in Poland brought to an end the rule of the Law and Justice (PiS) party. With an extraordinary turnout of 74%, the highest in recent Polish history, 13.2 million voters cast their vote in support of parties other than PiS, with four liberal-democratic parties alone attracting over 11.6 million votes. This shift indicates a departure from the period of selective demobilisation of the liberal-democratic camp and selective overmobilisation of the right-wing camp inclined to protect the traditional-religious world in decline. The campaign deviated from 'normal politics', focusing instead on the principles of constitutional democracy, as the 8-year PiS rule marked the erosion of the rule of law. The election itself, while free, was unfair and unequal, attributed to the actions of the outgoing political camp. Paradoxically, however, the camp responsible for these violations failed to secure enough support to form a government. The new government now faces a complex array of challenges. It must restore the constitutional order, manage two electoral campaigns (local and European), and rebuild relationships with the EU as a pivotal objective. It also faces the necessity to foster Western support for Ukraine, which requires careful navigation of domestic and international challenges
Democracy · Economics · Liberal democracy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements
The habitus of activism
Rule of Law Minimalism and the Fear of ‘Politics’
Educational reforms and political polarization
From protest to piety
Women’s participation and democratic resilience
Democratic Frontsliding in the European Union
Determinants of Voting Behavior in the 2023 Polish Parliamentary Election
Sweet, but confusing
Alternatives to Liberal Democracies and Their Consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe
When Do Local Governments Discriminate? Lessons from the Diffusion of “LGBT Free Zones” in Poland
From Division to Democracy
An Apparent Change
Keep positive and defend democracy
Administrative democratic defence
Determinants of political polarisation in the context of democratic renewal
Youth activism in Poland
Strategic dualism
The 2024 European elections in Poland
Money Talks? The Effectiveness of Sanctions in the ‘Rule of Law’ Conflict in the European Union
Turkey’s Hard Road to Democratic Renewal
Defending democracy
Money for nothing? EU institutions’ uneven record of freezing EU funds to enforce EU values
Opposition electoral strategies against democratic backsliding
Poland's Constitutional Breakdown
The Court of Justice of the European Union in the Case Law of the Polish Constitutional Court
Cultural vs. economic legacies of empires
Persistent Legacies of the Empires
The Italian parliamentary election of 2022
The making of an ‘unhappy marriage’? The 2023 Finnish general election
New (types of) parties and government
Rising electoral fragmentation and abstention
Forging, Bending, and Breaking
| Unique citing works | 23 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 23 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 23 |