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Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, inflation, migration waves as well as deep polarization of society, parliamentary elections are being held in Poland. Perceived as a battle between pro-government and anti-government camps, these elections will decide whether the mandate of the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party will be extended, or whether the Civic Platform will rise as the ruling party again after two PiS-dominated election cycles. The constitutional crisis and democratic decline in the areas of human rights, public institutions and the media of the past eight years do not seem to affect the core electorate of the PiS party, which continues to dominate pre-election polls. In a country wracked by protests, the largest since 1989 happening this year, opposition parties are facing unprecedented pressure to create an uneven pre-election playing field, with, for instance, “Lex Tusk” targeting members of the Civic Platform party.

Can the PiS party and Civic Platform mobilize undecided voters in their favour? Will the Confederation party be the kingmaker in the post-election negotiations? Finally, is it really possible to form a majority government or should we rather expect a minority one or snap elections if the negotiations fail? Experts discuss the main aspects of the parliamentary elections in Poland.