Poland’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (PiS), has been accused of damaging the country’s democratic progress. Minister of Digitalisation Janusz Cieszyński has insisted that the upcoming election in October will be free and fair, despite warnings from observers and opposition politicians. Cieszyński argued that investing in Poland’s army right now could lead to paying for the enemy’s army stationed in Poland in the future. He also highlighted Poland being „under almost as much a threat as Ukraine” from Russian cyber attacks.
Poland recently beefed up its border security, deploying 10,000 troops on its frontier with Belarus. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki promised the country would have „the most powerful land force in Europe.” Some analysts claim this defensive build-up is part of a political campaign before the upcoming elections and worry about the cost. Security expert Jaroslaw Kociszewski said the government is playing, using the army to ensure security, but this has nothing to do with security, it is to help the authorities maintain power.
The newly passed Russian influence law could be used to silence critical voices. However, Digitalisation Minister Cieszyński challenged these claims, saying that the opposition „always says when they do not have anything to attack us with.” He added that military expenditure is super expensive and that the electoral return is not very significant.
Warsaw announced plans to ramp up defence spending to 4% of GDP, which PM Morawieck called „the highest percentage among all NATO countries.” Frank Ledwidge, a barrister and former military officer, noted the logistical and financial burden of a military build-up and warned Warsaw could be left with an awful lot of egg on their face if it was not able to deliver on its promises.
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