The 2014 European Elections. The Case of Poland

Abstract

Elections are an irrefutable achievement in the development of modern democracies. However, elections are not only held in order to form accountable governments. They are perceived by political parties as a means of promoting political ideas and treated as an equivalent of public opinion polls. A good case in point is the process of electing deputies to the European Parliament. Poland is not an exception in this context - the notion of "second order election" reflects the stance of both Polish political actors and citizens on this kind of election. Nonetheless, political parties also tend to consider the European elections as a testing ground before national elections, which they recognize as more significant. Last but not least, the lower interest given to European elections by mainstream parties may also create an opportunity for smaller parties, especially those holding strong views, to succeed. Such conclusions might be drawn from the last election held in Poland, which led Janusz Korwin-Mikke's New Right to unexpected success.