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ChapterI◆THECONSTITUTIONALFOUNDATIONSOFTHEREPUBLICOFPOLAND’S…
completelylostitsimportance.Thus,overthepastfifteenyears,thepolitical
sceneinPolandhasbeendominatedbyapoliticaldisputebetweentwopost-
Solidarityparties:LawandJusticeandtheCivicPlatform33.
In2007,theSejm’stermofofficewasshortenedduetothecollapseof
thegovernmentcoalition,inwhichLawandJusticeplayedadominantrole.As
aresult,powerwastakenoverbytheCivicPlatform(whosechairman-Donald
Tuskbecameprimeminister),formingagovernmentcoalitionwiththePolish
People’sParty.In2010,thepresidentialelectionwaswonbyBronisław
Komorowski,theCivicPlatformcandidate.Ayearlater,theCivicPlatformwon
theparliamentaryelectionsforthesecondtimeinarow.
Therulingpartyfacednumerousproblemsduringtheirsecondtermof
office,andDonaldTuskassumedthepositionoftheEuropeanCouncil
President.Hisdeparturefromnationalpoliticscontributedtotheelectoral
victoryofLawandJusticein2015.Partyleader,JarosławKaczyński,resigned
frompersonallymanagingthegovernment,andthefunctionofPrimeMinister
wastakenoverbyBeataSzydło(laterreplacedbythecurrentheadof
government-MateuszMorawiecki).Inthesameyear,thepresidentialelection
waswonbyAndrzejDuda,whowastheLawandJusticecandidate.Owingto
this,andtothelackofnecessitytoformagovernmentcoalitionwithanother
partyrepresentedintheSejmaswellasthankstotheleader’sstyleof
managinghisparty,JarosławKaczyńskiwasabletoestablishpersonalrule34.
JarosławKaczyńskiconfirmedhismandatetogovernin2019(LawandJustice
onceagainwonanabsolutemajorityofvotesintheparliamentaryelections,
allowingforestablishingacabinetonitsown).In2020,underthestateof
epidemicemergencyintroducedduetomasscoronavirusinfections,Andrzej
Duda,supportedbyLawandJustice,wonthepresidentialelectionagain.
LawandJusticeassumedrulein2015undertheugoodchange”slogan.
Itwasassociatedwiththeimplementationofmanysystemicreforms,which
werenecessary,accordingtoJarosławKaczyński,duetoomissionsmadeby
othergovernmentsafter1989.Thisgoalwasachievedwhenthegoverning
partygainedanadvantageintheConstitutionalTribunalandintroduced
fundamentalchangesinthejudicialsphere.ThisexposedPolandtocriticism
33See:K.Ziemer,DaspolitischeSystem…,op.cit.,p.192etseq.
34M.Rulka,ChangeswithinthePoliticalSysteminPolandsince2015,[in:]HungaryandPoland
inTimesofPoliticalTransition:SelectedIssues,eds.B.Pająk-Patkowska,M.Rachwał,Adam
MickiewiczUniversityFacultyofPoliticalScienceandJournalismPress,Poznań2016,p.147etseq.
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