The SituationPoland’s election on Oct. 13 is the biggest test of the Law & Justice Party’s durability. It has already revamped the constitutional court, restricted demonstrations and tried to tighten one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws. Poland’s ruling party struck a nerve at home and abroad by calling for the country to assert its national identity, uphold Catholic values and control its borders. Poland’s eastern provinces, which are some of the EU’s poorest areas, are hotbeds of support for Law & Justice, which in 2015 won the country’s first parliamentary majority since Poland became a democracy in 1989. Critics say Poland’s leaders have eroded civil liberties, turned the media into a party mouthpiece and transformed state companies into political machines.

Source: Washington Post October 07, 2019 16:30 UTC