COMMENTARY: Poland Is a Success Story, but Politically It Is Failing to Use Its Potential

Poland has achieved economic success, strengthened its military capabilities and reinforced NATO's eastern flank. Yet a year before the next elections, the country's political mood is one of disappointment rather than confidence.

The liberal Civic Coalition celebrated its election victory in October 2023 with expectations of reversing the institutional changes introduced by Jarosław Kaczyński's Law and Justice party. Those promises included restoring the separation of powers, reducing political control over the judiciary and making the media more independent. The reality has proved harder. Coalition disputes and conflicts with the president have slowed the government's work and deepened political frustration.

The comparison with Hungary's political upheaval has also exposed the differences between the two countries. When Peter Magyar's Tisza party swept through Hungarian politics and ended Viktor Orbán's long rule, Donald Tusk was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate him. Tusk saw Magyar as both a European ally and a fellow politician dealing with a difficult political inheritance. But Tusk was never a Polish equivalent of Magyar. Unlike Hungary's ruling system, Poland's PiS never established unchallenged dominance. Its changes to the courts and media instead sharpened the country's social and political divisions.

Liberal and left-wing forces remained strong enough to regroup after years of PiS rule. Large demonstrations demanding a more liberal abortion law showed the scale of social resistance, while young people and previous non-voters helped Tusk's coalition win in 2023. The current government still wants to improve Poland's defense readiness, but the commentary presents a country that looks politically weakened even as its strategic importance grows.