First, the gloomy tidings for Europe’s centrists and liberals: there is little reason to believe the Polish election heralds the beginning of a broader anti-populist fightback.
National elections tend to be just that — national. While Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has much in common with other outfits on Europe’s radical right, it is also fairly unusual in being a well-entrenched incumbent, easily blamed for the economic turmoil and soaring cost of living on its watch.
By contrast, most of the other right-wing populist parties gathering their forces for the European parliamentary elections in June, as well as significant elections in Austria, Belgium and eastern Germany, are doing so with the advantages of opposition.
Robert Fico’s victory in Slovakia at the end
