Chajdukowski Michał
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translated by: Reeta NIEMONEN
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2015. January 30. 14:20
The new candidate represents a good alternative: even if she does not win, she will advance the Polish Left.
It is not only beauty and hair colour that Magdalena Ogoreck has in common with the Danish Prime minister, Helle Thorning. They are both young, dynamic and competent. Thorning has already led her Social Democrats to success in Danish politics, and now the whole Polish Left is looking at Magdalena Ogorek, waiting for her to do the same.
*Importance of the political background
It’s true that the Polish president, in a semi-parliamentary system, does not determine the politics of the country (which on the other hand is the case in France, for example). However, presidential elections - universal, direct polls consisting of two rounds - have a higher voter turnout than parliamentary elections in general. Also, this year the presidential election takes place only a couple of months before the Parliamentary ones. As a consequence, political parties consider it as a start of their campaigns, therefore which are going to be more intense. Looking back at the last 20 years of Polish democracy, each time when presidential elections took place shortly before MPs were elected, the election of the President correlated with the victory of his party. This explains why parties focus so much on the upcoming elections. According to the surveys, the major battle will be fought between two candidates: the incumbent president, Bronislaw Komorowski (who even has a possibility to win in the first round), and a candidate of the conservative party Law and Justice, Andrzej Duda. As the political scene is polarized, some of the voters are disappointed by their options and are willing to look for new alternatives. Enter Magdalena Ogorek, who is supported by the Democratic Left Alliance and its leader, Leszek Miller.
*A competent candidate
The fact that until now Magdalena Ogorek has not been among the major political leaders of Poland is, paradoxically, her strength. Not only is she a new face, but also very well prepared when it comes to academics (she has, among other things, finalized her thematic studies in the University of Maastricht), fluent in English (which is still unusual in the Polish political scene), and very experienced. Indeed, she has worked in the government administration and also for the Left in the previous elections. Moreover, she knows how to act in front of cameras, a skill she learned during her years as a newscaster: she gives a calm and controlled impression of herself. She is an expert on relations between the Catholic Church and the State. She does not use the strong anticlerical rhetoric, unlike certain politicians of the Left who support the basic idea of the separation of Church and State. This choice is very intelligent, although it is a little dangerous as a political step. In Poland, anticlerical ideas attract only little popularity, as the Catholic Church has maintained its influence. That way, the candidate can present her openness for the new voters and also her credibility as a president for all.
*A woman who wants to modernize the Left
Finally, being a woman is probably the biggest strength of Ogorek. In a country where women have more and more visibility and influence and since Polish women are amongst the most enterprising in Europe, a female candidate that stands for cutting taxes can appeal to a wide electorate. Magdalena Ogorek is also new for the Left and has new ideas about the Left, including reforming legislation to make it more favourable for firms as well as strengthening the government's support for the young people to prevent them from leaving the country… And at the same time, she blames the incumbent President for his inactivity.
Now, everything depends on her campaign. But regardless of the result, one thing is for sure: Magdalena Ogorek herself or her party are not going to loose anything. On the other hand, they can win a lot. In case she will not win the presidential elections, she can still facilitate the consolidation of the Left, and she could achieve good results in the next elections. In the end, as the example of the Danish Prime minister, Helle Thorning shows, it is not necessary to win the elections in order to form a government and become a Prime Minister.