Janie Boschma

Eighteen years have passed since the fall of communism in Poland. The endless lines of Poles hoping in vain for stringently rationed necessities and wine that tasted like vinegar have been replaced. Supplanting them are endless lines of newly minted “Unia Europejska” members with a myriad of products from around the world: digital cameras, Coca-cola, and Colombo DVDs in hand. The lines now are no longer a result of the shortages of a centralized economy, but simply due to the timid aggravation of elderly cashiers pecking away at troublesome, newfangled, U.S.-style cash registers and handing shoppers their change with the sort of begrudging attitude normally reserved for robberies. All the while the ATM machines are spitting out 100 Zloty bills into the soaring economy.

Indeed it seems that the proverbial iron curtain itself has not just been torn down, but melted down, forged into consumer goods and sold. A clear indication of Poland’s continuing honeymoon with the free market and westernization was the triumph of the center-right Civic Platform Party in recent parliamentary elections.

While the central European nation boasts a half dozen viable political parties, only two emerged as serious contenders. Both right-wing parties by European standards, the recent election between the market oriented, fiscally conservative, Civic Platform and the populist, nationalist, traditional-values orientated Law and Justice Party was a classic battle of, to put it in American terms, Wall Street versus main street.

Law and Justice swept into power trouncing the ruling liberal-democrats in 2005, with curiously charismatic twin brothers and former child actors, Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczyñski, at the helm, splitting the presidency and prime minister post between themselves. The tenure of the brothers was marked by a series of confrontations. Like a David looking for Goliaths, Law and Justice sought rhetorically heated showdowns with The EU, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, radical feminists, terrorists, communists, former communists, the media, fish harvest limit and Germany.

The party’s combative nationalist approach however proved wearisome to more cosmopolitan and internationalist minded voters. Conscious of Poland’s increasing status as a pariah in the EU, they opted for the slick, modern and diplomatic Civic Platform campaign, which seems geared towards Poland falling into line as a typical standard issue European country.

On the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, hurting its close relationship with some values voters, in the pious homeland of the late Pope John Paul II where Sunday Masses spill into the streets, was an ugly split between Law and Justice and its coalition partner the, unapologetically Catholic, League of Polish Families, which actually triggered the early election.

Differences between Law and Justice and Civic Platform however were mostly economic in nature. Law and Justice’s people-before-pennies approach, including support for substantial tax-breaks for families, increased time for maternity leave, closing chain stores on Sundays and universal free health care invoked the ire of fiscally conservative number crunchers.

Civic Platform’s campaign pledges, including, a flat tax privatization of health care, a quick adaptation of the Euro currency and a reduced role for trade unions, as well as a withdrawal of Polish troops from Iraq, proved more popular. Voter turnout stood at 51 percent, including many votes coming from Poles living abroad in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with 41 percent of voters choosing the pro-business party, 32 percent going for the nationalist-populists and the rest being split among smaller parties.

In all reality however, the new victors and the new opposition are remarkably similar, so much so that in the past they nearly formed coalitions. Both parties claim the mantle of the 1980s era Solidarity Movement which arose in opposition to communism. Both favor strong ties with the United States, and NATO. For instance, Polish troops will remain in Afghanistan. Additionally, both factions tow a similar line on Catholic values issues, though with markedly different degrees of enthusiasm. Law and Justice still controls the presidency and the second largest share of parliament and promises to remain a vigilant opposition. Civic Platform’s leader, the new prime minister, Donald Tusk, promises amiable relationships and cooperation with the EU, Russia and opposition parties – a promise that in the past has proven extremely illusive in the bitter world of Polish politics, where no ruling party has ever been reelected since the fall of communism.

Schauer is a senior history major and guest columnist for The Spectator.