Poland: ‘If We Don’t Elect the President, the Country Will Plunge into Chaos’

The aim of this paper is to elucidate how PiS and Confederation, two right-wing populist parties, dealt with the double challenge of the COVID-19 crisis and the presidential elections during a pandemic. The chapter argues that the COVID-19 crisis had a significant impact on the strategies undertaken by PiS during the presidential campaign. First, it prompted PiS to take unconstitutional and illegal measures to prevent the delay of the elections, a scenario promoted by the opposition. Second, the crisis also opened a window of opportunity for the governing camp allowing PiS to profit from the ‘rally effect.’ As for Confederation, the second populist actor, the crisis did not fundamentally affect its strategy for becoming more mainstream. The group used the pandemic to build the image of a competent and moderate actor. In addition, the restrictions of the crisis created an opportunity for the libertarian aspects of the party’s agenda.