-- “THOSE DECIDING THE LEGAL SITUATION OF SOLDIERS MUST BE CLEAR.” TUSK ANNOUNCES DISMISSAL OF PROSECUTOR JANECZEK, “THE HEIGHT OF IMPUDENCE.” BŁASZCZAK ON TUSK’S DECISION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/06/07/ -- CIVIC COALITION LEADING AHEAD OF EU ELECTION VOTE ACCORDING TO IPSOS POLL FOR OKO.PRESS AND TOK FM: “Civic Coalition is in the lead (results may not sum to 100 due to rounding): Civic Coalition – 33 percent PiS – 29 percent Confederation – 11 percent Third Way – 10 percent The Left – 7 percent Non-partisan Local Government Officials – 2 percent Polexit – 1 percent Hard to say – 7 percent.” -- CIVIC COALITION KNOCKS OUT PIS AND CLEARLY LEADS. WILL THE SITUATION AT THE BORDER CHANGE THIS? - WRITES MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN OKO: “It only minimally captures the emotions associated with yesterday’s events around the border with Belarus: firstly, the death of soldier Mateusz Sitek, who was wounded on May 28 by a migrant, and secondly, the revelation by Onet of the detention of soldiers who fired shots in clashes with migrants in March 2024. Both of these facts have become front-page topics in the final hours of the campaign and fit into the consistently anti-migrant narrative of PiS and Confederation, which may ultimately contribute to an improvement in the standings of these two formations.” -- WE ALSO SEE A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF INDICATIONS OF DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE THIRD WAY ELECTORATE; RELATIVELY LITTLE HOPE AND SENSE OF DUTY, WHICH CONFIRMS THE FORMATION IS NOT IN THE BEST SHAPE - CONTINUES DANIELEWSKI IN OKO: “Confederation voters exhibit a higher index of fatigue and disappointment, and the lowest level of hope, which together can be demobilizing. We also see a significant percentage of indications of disappointment in the Third Way electorate; relatively little hope and sense of duty, which confirms that the formation is not in the best shape. TD and Confederation supporters also most frequently choose 'nothing special,' which will not encourage them to vote. The electorates of KO and The Left are surprisingly similar to each other, both being the most dutiful and least disappointed, and full of hope. The KO electorate indicates 'nothing special' less often than The Left.” -- IT WILL NOT BE A SURPRISE IF THE LEFT FIGHTS A TOUGH BATTLE WITH THE ELECTORAL THRESHOLD - CONTINUES DANIELEWSKI: “By suspending an already mediocre campaign, it has voluntarily surrendered its only advantage that distinguishes it from other parties, namely its consistent advocacy for human rights, including the rights of migrants. This is a risky move, and in gambling, the gambler usually loses to the casino.” https://oko.press/sondaz-koalicja-obywatelska-nokautuje-pis -- IN THE LAST PRE-ELECTION POLL BY "WYBORCZA", CIVIC COALITION SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF PIS - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK AND ANDRZEJ MACHOWSKI IN GW: “In our poll conducted four days before the elections, Civic Coalition leads – 32.1 percent, followed by PiS – 29.8 percent. We recorded the same order in a poll conducted on May 13-14, only now KO’s ratings have increased by 1.4 percentage points, and PiS’s by 0.6 percentage points, meaning KO’s lead over PiS has grown from 1.5 to 2.3 percentage points.” -- CONFEDERATION IS IN THIRD PLACE – 9 PERCENT (A DROP OF 0.7 PERCENTAGE POINTS), FOLLOWED BY THIRD WAY – 8.9 PERCENT (AN INCREASE OF 0.4 PERCENTAGE POINTS), AND THE LEFT – 7.7 PERCENT (AN INCREASE OF 1.3 PERCENTAGE POINTS). These differences are small, but if we look at the results of all parties forming the October 15 Coalition, its ratings have increased by 3.1 percentage points over the last three weeks, with practically unchanged ratings for PiS and Confederation combined. This increase in votes for KO, TD, and The Left is the result of a decrease in the number of undecided voters: from 12.9 percent in mid-May to 8.9 percent now” – further in GW. -- 20:19 SEATS – CONTINUES MACHOWSKI AND KUBLIK IN GW: “If the support for the parties in Sunday’s election were as it is in our poll, then KO would win 20 seats, Third Way – 5, The Left – 4; thus, the October 15 Coalition would win 29 seats (1 more than the mid-May poll indicated), PiS would get 19 seats, and Confederation – 5 (a total of 24 seats – 1 less than before).” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,31030365,sondaz-wyborczej-koalicja-obywatelska-przed-pis.html -- THE LATEST OPINIA24 POLL ORDERED BY "FAKTY" TVN AND TVN24 SHOWS THAT 34 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS INTEND TO VOTE FOR CIVIC COALITION IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. LAW AND JUSTICE WOULD OBTAIN 32 PERCENT SUPPORT. CONFEDERATION ALSO MADE IT TO THE PODIUM. https://tvn24.pl/polska/wybory-do-parlamentu-europejskiego-najnowszy-sondaz-przewaga-ko-nad-pis-st7950496 -- THE NARRATIVE CONSTANTLY PEDDLED BY THE RIGHT-WING, SOLIDIFIES THE ASSOCIATION OF TRZASKOWSKI WITH THE ACCUSATION OF ATTACKING THE CROSS, PERHAPS HE WILL NOW HAVE TO CARRY - NOMEN OMEN - THE CROSS OF THE IMAGE OF A POLITICIAN ATTACKING THE CROSS - MICHAŁ WOJCZUK IN GW: “Nevertheless, the narrative constantly peddled by the right-wing solidifies the association of Trzaskowski with the accusation of attacking the cross, just as in 2020, the failure of the sewage collector to the Czajka was linked to the Mayor of Warsaw. The only difference is that today the state media apparatus, over which PiS has lost influence, is not involved in this action. This may be one of the most lasting consequences of Polish political events during the European Parliament campaign. Trzaskowski may already have to carry – nomen omen – the cross of the image of a politician attacking the cross.” -- IT LOOKS AS IF TRZASKOWSKI WAS ASKED BY THE PARTY TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND WAIT OUT THIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN - CONTINUES WOJCZUK IN GW: “Perhaps this is why the Mayor of Warsaw has practically disappeared from politics in recent days. He has withdrawn to the second row, does not participate in the election campaign of any candidate for the European Parliament, and does not give interviews. It looks as if he was asked by the party to take a step back and wait out this election campaign.” https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,31030624,letnia-kampania-przed-wyborami-do-parlamentu-europejskiego.html -- ALTHOUGH TUSK’S PARTY HAS BEEN SHIFTING LEFT IN RECENT YEARS, THIS WAS ACTUALLY AN EXCEPTIONALLY RIGHT-WING ELECTION CAMPAIGN - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Humanitarian issues took a backseat, appearing somewhere in the statements of Left or Szymon Hołownia’s Poland 2050 politicians, but the narrative about the security of the Polish border dominated. And although Donald Tusk’s party has been shifting left in recent years, this was actually an exceptionally right-wing election campaign, focused on issues of the military, security, and strength.” -- ONE COULD GET THE IMPRESSION THAT TUSK ACCUSED PIS OF NOT BEING RIGHT-WING ENOUGH - CONTINUES SZUŁDRZYŃSKI: “Tusk, even when criticizing PiS, referred to the right-wing imaginary – accusing Jarosław Kaczyński’s party of actually weakening Poland’s security, entering into alliances with Putin’s friends (like Viktor Orbán), disrupting European Union unity, or finally, that it was during PiS rule that migration from Asia hit record highs. One could get the impression that Tusk accused PiS of not being right-wing enough.” -- IF THE PLATFORM MANAGES TO OUTPERFORM PIS – WHICH IS NOT YET A DONE DEAL – IT WILL NOT BE BECAUSE THEY RAN SUCH A GREAT ELECTION CAMPAIGN, BUT BECAUSE THE UNITED RIGHT HAS BEEN HARMED BY FURTHER REVEALED SCANDALS - CONTINUES SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ. https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40569741-michal-szuldrzynski-rosja-i-bialorus-czy-obajtek-i-fundusz-sprawiedliwosci-co-zdominowalo-kampanie -- THE DEATH OF A SOLDIER SHOULD SET A LIMIT TO POLARIZATION - ESTERA FLIEGER IN RZ: “For years, politicians have fed the polarization monster. It emerges – gargantuan, powerful, slimy, gnashing its teeth and waving growing paws. The crisis at the border has been ongoing for three years. It would be much easier to deal with if politicians developed a single coherent policy, continued by successive camps, instead of hurling increasingly absurd accusations about who is whose agent. It would also be much easier to explain what happened at the border if there wasn't excessive pathological polarization. If the latest incident doesn't serve as a wake-up call, what will awaken Polish politicians?” https://www.rp.pl/publicystyka/art40570061-estera-flieger-donald-tusk-czuje-gniew-smierc-zolnierza-powinna-postawic-granice-polaryzacji -- THE QUESTION IS WHETHER TUSK IS TRYING TO NURTURE THIS LEAD OR RATHER TRY TO REACH A STATE WHERE THEY WILL NOT BE NEEDED BY HIM - PROF. JAROSŁAW FLIS IN CONVERSATION WITH AGATA KONDZIŃSKA IN GW: “Yes, now the question is what is more important on the track. The proportions between the Third Way and Confederation decided who would be prime minister. If Confederation had 14 percent and the Third Way 7 percent, we would probably have Prime Minister Morawiecki now. For now, Donald Tusk’s great advantage is that the PSL club, Hołownia, and The Left prefer to form a government with him than with Morawiecki. The question is whether Tusk is trying to nurture this advantage, or rather trying to reach a state where they will not be needed by him.” -- IF THE LATEST PARLIAMENTARY POLLS ARE CALCULATED, PIS HAS 20 FEWER SEATS. THEIR VOTERS ARE FLEEING TO CONFEDERATION - CONTINUES FLIS IN GW: “If the latest parliamentary polls were calculated, PiS would have 20 fewer seats. Their voters are fleeing to Confederation. It is the main beneficiary here. KO’s result would be similar; PiS voters would not immediately switch to their side. But KO also makes few gestures to attract them, only those to discourage them from PiS. For now, they will flee to Confederation. The part of this party that would have been the right wing of PO in the past is weakening, and the part that is closer to PiS is strengthening.” -- IT MAY TURN OUT NOW THAT THE BENEFICIARY OF ALL THESE SCANDALS WILL BE CONFEDERATION, IT WILL GET ANOTHER BREATH AND WILL START TO STABILIZE ON THE POLITICAL SCENE - PROF. FLIS FURTHER WITH KONDZIŃSKA. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,31036261,prof-flis-dla-wyborczej-politycy-sa-jak-krowy-jak-sie-ich.html -- THOSE DISSATISFIED WITH TUSK HAVE A CHOICE IN THE DEMOCRATIC CAMP - সংস্কৃতি JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN GW: “In October, democrats voted to remove PiS. It didn’t matter much which democratic list and which democratic candidate received our vote. Now it’s different. It matters not only which list we choose, but also next to which candidate we place our mark. This requires a bit more thought and better orientation, but it allows every democrat to vote according to their conscience. Because on every democratic list, one can find individuals who have the courage to openly and unequivocally oppose what is offensive and demobilizing to democratic voters in the current government’s politics. Those who look will find. This deprives even the most disappointed of an excuse not to vote.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,31036391,eurowybory-niezadowoleni-z-tuska-maja-wybor-w-obozie-demokratycznym.html -- THE PO-PIS EXPLOITATION OF A SOLDIER’S DEATH IS PURE NIHILISM, THE COUNTRY IS REALLY IN A BAD WAY - GRZEGORZ SROCZYŃSKI IN GAZETA.PL: “This terrible election campaign is ending even more disgracefully than it began, the two main parties know no moderation in telling vile things about themselves. Prime Minister Morawiecki has temporarily taken the lead by announcing: “Prosecutor Bodnar has blood on his hands” (referring to the deceased soldier from the border). Meanwhile, the detention of three soldiers for firing at a group of migrants (two of them have been charged) is – depending on party affiliation – “a provocation by prosecutor from Ziobro” (narrative of PO politicians for the PO electorate) versus “they were arrested by Bodnar’s people” (a fairy tale of PiS politicians for the PiS electorate). Former minister Sienkiewicz on the case of the three soldiers: “If I were to engage in conspiracy theories, I would say we are dealing with some kind of underground PiS state.” Polarization is literally devouring the country before our eyes, making the Polish state deaf, blind, and unreformed, because everything serves to shift responsibility onto the political enemy, and nothing serves to explain anything or to repair anything.” -- THE STAKE IS ESSENTIALLY PURELY SYMBOLIC: KACZYŃSKI WANTS TO REACH THE FINISH LINE FIRST SO THAT THERE ARE NO WHISPERS IN THE PARTY RANKS THAT HE FINALLY NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR LOSING POWER, MISTAKES, AND DEVIATIONS, AND TUSK WANTS TO OVERTAKE FOR A SIMILAR REASON, BECAUSE THEN HIS GENIUS WILL BE CONFIRMED, AND THE COALITION PARTNERS WILL TRULY BE ABLE TO TELL HIM WHERE TO GO - CONTINUES SROCZYŃSKI: “The stake is essentially purely symbolic: Kaczyński wants to reach the finish line first so that there are no whispers in the party ranks that he finally needs to be held accountable for losing power, mistakes, and deviations, and Tusk wants to overtake for a similar reason, because then his genius will be confirmed, and the coalition partners will truly be able to tell him where to go. It’s about nothing more. It’s about the cohesion of party ranks and the positions of two leaders. If unwavering publicists, various zealous aunties, and assorted serious editorial offices on both sides of the barricade try to convince you that this election is about Poland itself, democracy, and other precious things, laugh it off. You can subscribe to cheerful things, but you don't have to believe them.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,31038797,nurkujemy-w-szambie-polska-polityka-gra-buczy-i-pachnie-komentarz.html -- A PUBLIC RELATIONS GRENADE EXPLODES IN THE GOVERNMENT’S HANDS. “PIS HAS GAINED AMMUNITION” - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN ONE: “The situation at the border is slowly becoming the most serious public relations crisis for the October 15 coalition government. The information revealed on Wednesday by Onet about the detention in March by the gendarmerie and the indictment of soldiers who fired warning shots at migrants illegally trying to cross the border from Belarus was already problematic. The problem escalated when it turned out on Thursday that a soldier recently wounded by a knife by a migrant trying to cross the border had died in the hospital. The opposition from PiS has gained ideal ammunition to attack the government: soldiers are dying at the border, and when they try to defend themselves against aggressive migrants, they face prosecutorial charges. The whole matter is particularly politically painful for two governing parties: PSL, which is responsible for the Ministry of Defense, and Civic Platform, which built its European campaign almost exclusively on the issue of security.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/newsweek/wizerunkowy-granat-wybucha-w-rekach-rzadu-pis-zyskal-wymarzona-amunicje/z2hrvb6,452ad802 -- THIS IS NOT LEADERSHIP, IT IS DISGUSTINGLY SHIFTING ONE'S OWN FAULTS ONTO OTHERS AND LOOKING FOR SCAPEGOATS - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “This is not leadership, it is disgustingly shifting one’s own faults onto others and looking for scapegoats. The tarnished trust of soldiers in the rulers will weaken further. The only way out of this crisis was and is the resignation of those truly responsible for the humiliation of border defenders, for introducing Bodnar’s thinking into state structures. Unfortunately, Poland does not have a Polish government today, Poland is managed from abroad, by people whose only goal is to dismantle our country. A bum with a cigarette after a dirty job – that’s how Colonel Sienkiewicz photographed himself at the end of his tenure.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/694548-to-nie-przywodztwo-to-zrzucanie-wlasnych-win-na-innych -- ON SATURDAY, THE FIFTH DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF ANDRZEJ GODLEWSKI. -- ON SATURDAY, THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFERENDUM: -- 21 YEARS AGO, a two-day European referendum concluded. The turnout was 58.85%, and 77.45% of voters opted for Poland’s accession to the European Union. Opponents included Roman Giertych’s League of Polish Families, the Real Politics Union, and Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland. -- BIRTHDAYS: Robert Tyszkiewicz, Lidia Staroń, Leszek Moczulski, Jan Rzymełka, Wojciech Lamentowicz. SATURDAY: Norman Davies, Arkadiusz Franas. SUNDAY: Irena Lipowicz.