Acceso usuarios
G. Ekiert
Since 1989, Polish democracy has not been successful in consolidating its party system. This situation produces widespread popular dissatisfaction and shapes the views of the Polish population about democracy. The last elections show that Poland is in the throes of significant political re-alignment. For the first time, the ruling coalition includes the right wing extremists, nationalists, and opportunistic populists who reject the reform agenda, goals and strategies supported and implemented by all previous governments. This new coalition also seriously questions Polish commitments to the EU. Moreover, the newly formed governing coalition proposes a backward looking and parochial political agenda that may seriously endanger the process of modernization and Europeanization and the progress Poland has made during the last 15 years. In this essay, I argued that while postcommunism is generally not a fertile ground for political parties and party politics, the consolidation of the party system in Poland has faced a number of challenges that were more serious than in other postcommunist countries due to specific features of Polish political developments. For a variety of specific historical experiences and reasons, Poland has developed a highly idiosyncratic party system that is characterized by inherent instability, organizational weakness of political parties, growing tendency to political extremism and unpredictability. As a result, Polish politics promises to be a highly volatile enterprise for years to come with potentially serious consequences for the country’s economic development and its standing within the European Union.
Depuis 1989, la démocratie polonaise n’a pas réussi à consolider son système partisan, entraînant un vaste mécontentement populaire. Les dernières élections indiquent que la Pologne est en train de connaître un réalignement politique majeur : pour la première fois, la coalition au pouvoir compte extrémistes de droite, nationalistes et populistes opportunistes qui rejettent le programme de réforme, ainsi que les objectifs et stratégies mis en place par les gouvernements précédents. Ce système partisan idiosyncrasique – marqué par une instabilité inhérente, une faiblesse organisationnelle, une tendance croissante à l’extrémisme politique et dont le programme rétrograde risque d’affecter le processus de modernisation amorcé depuis quinze ans – remet sérieusement en question les engagements de la Pologne envers l’UE.
