Telewizja Republika reveals that on May 22, the Liberté! Foundation launched a Facebook ad offensive worth approx. PLN 42,000 in just one day. They spent nearly twice as much on Meta Ads as both Rafał Trzaskowski’s and Karol Nawrocki’s campaign teams combined. And that was just the beginning. Within three days (May 22–24), the foundation spent between PLN 132,000 and 195,000 on promotion—an average of PLN 44,000 to 65,000 daily.
Winners and Losers
Officially, the campaign is “pro-turnout” in nature. In practice, however, its messaging perfectly mirrors the rhetoric of Warsaw mayor and presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, whose electorate aligns strongly with ecological, liberal, and pro-European themes. A glance at the capital’s demographics confirms this: Meta classifies the highest concentration of users interested in LGBT+, animal rights, and urban ecology in the very districts that are Trzaskowski strongholds.
Karol Nawrocki, the conservative candidate, is virtually absent from this equation. His campaign ran just a few ads, spending PLN 12,592—reaching a significantly smaller audience. In marketing terms, it’s a “noise floor”—background buzz drowned out by Liberté!’s vibrant digital onslaught.
Day One – A Financial Barrage
Data from Meta’s Ad Library shows that on May 22 alone, Liberté! spent PLN 42,654. In contrast, Trzaskowski’s team spent PLN 12,081, and Nawrocki’s team PLN 12,592. The ratio? 2:1 in the foundation’s favor. Even more striking was the growth rate: the next day, Liberté!’s budget surged by nearly 50%, and by May 23–24, they rolled out four of their priciest spots (PLN 10,000–15,000 each). What is a spending ceiling for political committees is merely a warm-up for the foundation.
On Thursday, May 22, Meta’s Ad Library saw the first wave of ads under the vague slogan “Let’s Choose the Future.” Three days later, the platform listed dozens of active ads—almost exclusively targeting a young, left-liberal demographic. Behind the campaign is Liberté! Foundation—a self-described centrist, pro-European think tank. But this time, rather than debate, it flexed its financial muscle. In just three days, the foundation poured between PLN 132,000 and 195,000 into promotion. For comparison: on May 22 alone, Liberté! spent PLN 42,654—nearly double the combined budgets of Trzaskowski’s (PLN 12,081) and Nawrocki’s (PLN 12,592) teams. So the question arises: is this a massive civic initiative—or a loophole-ridden maneuver around campaign spending limits?
Campaign Breakdown: Budgets, Reach, Targeting
Meta categorizes election ads by spending brackets. Liberté!’s ads spanned nearly all ranges—from “<PLN 100” to “PLN 10–15K” per spot. Totals include:
- 4 ads costing PLN 10–15K each (min. PLN 40K, max. PLN 60K)
- 2–3 ads in the PLN 7–8K range (min. PLN 14K, max. 16K)
- Several others between PLN 1–6K
- Dozens of small visuals and reels costing PLN 100–900 each
Adding up the lower limits gives PLN 132K; the upper limits total PLN 195K. Even accounting for Meta’s estimates, it’s clear Liberté! burned through the equivalent of half a typical presidential committee’s monthly budget in just 72 hours.
Ad reach was equally impactful: the four top spots garnered nearly half a million views each, while most others fell between 10,000 and 80,000. That means Liberté!’s campaign could have reached 4–5 million unique users in just three days—about half of all active social media voters.
“These astronomical expenses from the Liberté! Foundation mark another controversial ‘pro-turnout’ blitz in this election cycle. This time aimed squarely at the left-wing electorate, drawing on LGBT+ and animal rights themes. And once again, huge sums spent outside the oversight of the National Electoral Commission. This must be investigated—urgently,” said Piotr Okulski, strategic communications expert at the Observatory for Economic Development and Democracy.
Why It’s Problematic
Circumventing Spending Limits
Polish election law caps spending by official campaign committees—but does not adequately regulate “educational campaigns” run by foundations. The result: hundreds of thousands can be funneled into ads that de facto promote a single candidate while formally just “encouraging turnout.”
Asymmetry
The campaign teams of Trzaskowski and Nawrocki must report every expense to the National Electoral Commission. The foundation, however, only reports spending via NGO financial statements—published months after the election.
Are we witnessing the emergence of a new digital Citizens’ Committee—or simply a test case to see how far the electoral law can be bent? The answer will come when either the National Electoral Commission—or the voters—decide to say “check.”