Political scientist: KO convention is the beginning of preparations for the elections

The founding convention of the Civic Coalition is the first stage of the party's preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections, said Dr. Paweł Trawicki, a political scientist from the University of Gdańsk. The success of the formation will depend, among others, on: from the integration of structures and program coherence – he added.

As Dr. Paweł Trawicki told PAP, Saturday's convention, during which the Civic Platform, Nowoczesna and Inicjatywa Polska announced their merger into one party called the Civic Coalition, was well prepared and thought out.

– It was not a classic, internal party event, but rather a political event tailored to a wide audience, intended to show that a new quality is emerging on the Polish political scene. Without a doubt, this event is part of the electoral calendar and is the first stage of preparations for the parliamentary elections, said Dr. Trawicki.

In his opinion, the program of the new formation grows naturally from the current assumptions of the Civic Platform, but is expanded to include elements of the other two groups. – Nowoczesna was created as something like Civic Platform 2.0, but time has verified this concept. The platform under Donald Tusk's leadership fulfilled this formula itself, so the merger was a natural step, said the political scientist.

He added that the Polish Initiative brings a “more center-left wing” to the new party, which broadens the range of KO's program.

– The consolidation of the Civic Coalition is taking place in the spirit of voluntary cooperation and without any obvious program tensions, which proves that the entire project was carefully considered – he said.

However, the expert pointed out that the success of the new formation will depend on how the integration process will proceed, whether it will avoid image problems and program clashes, as well as cooperation with other groups, such as PSL and Polska 2050.

Referring to Donald Tusk's speech on Saturday, Dr. Trawicki pointed out that rhetoric alone about holding PiS governments to account and warning against this party's return to power will not be enough to win the next elections. According to the expert, “feeding your electorate with the same theses” may strengthen the internal cohesion of the ruling camp for some time, but over time it becomes tiresome and insufficient in relation to social expectations.

– The settlement with predecessors card cannot be played indefinitely. In the long run, voters will expect results in domestic politics – in the economy, education and health care. For now, the government is focusing on international policy, but domestic successes are needed. To effectively convince undecided voters, the government and the party will need visible achievements, said Dr. Trawicki.

According to him, the unification of the Civic Platform, Polish Initiative and Nowoczesna may strengthen KO's advantage over PiS in the polls, although the final election result is still uncertain.

The expert added that the current political situation favors the Civic Coalition because “some of the statements of PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński, especially regarding international politics, show a certain lack of understanding of the realities.”

– Prime Minister Tusk now has an easier position because he can show a lack of logic and consistency in the proposals of Law and Justice. Additionally, the government's relatively sensible foreign policy deprives Jarosław Kaczyński of the weapon for criticism, which is also visible in the recent speeches of the PiS leader. The path to the parliamentary elections is opening for the new Civic Coalition, which may in some way be made easier by the current lack of a coherent Law and Justice idea for Polish politics, said Dr. Trawicki. (PAP)

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