Poland's Experiences from Democratic Backsliding to Re-Democratisation

The United Right government started its authoritarian remodeling in 2015. Checks and balances were weakened at various levels and Poland has suffered serious democratic backsliding due to the ruling of Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s Law and Justice party. The Polish political system underwent a significant change, resulting in the launching of several political and legal procedures for the first time in the history of EU integration. Following an authoritarian toolkit, this remodeling attempt had a holistic approach: PiS captured the judicial system, public media, and part of the local press, restricted human rights, civil society, and to some extent local autonomies. As a result, Poland has deteriorated from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy, closely following the competitive authoritarian regime of Viktor Orbán. While this chapter gives an empirical overview of this 8-year procedure, it also aims to explain the institutional, political, and societal conditions that led to the outcome of the 2023 parliamentary elections with the collapse of PiS government. Another goal of this chapter is to analyze the democratic regime trajectories of Poland by mapping the decisions of the Tusk government to restore the rule of law amid institutional and political constraints.