“The election campaign was conducted in violation of the principle of equality and deviated from the standards of democratic competition,” reads the report summarizing the political contest for the office of President of Poland. Experts identified the most serious threats.
“During the campaign, manipulation, involvement of government and state institutions, as well as the government’s passivity in the face of actions endangering Poland’s security and the information security of the Republic of Poland with regard to the presidential election preparations were clearly visible. From this perspective, the campaign deviated from the principles and standards that should be upheld during an electoral campaign,” states the report by the Institute of National Security.
Relentless Bombardment
The report goes on to highlight specific examples of one-sided and unequal messaging that favored Rafał Trzaskowski while discrediting his rivals, utilizing all available resources—including public institutions—on an unprecedented scale. “In a blatant and overt manner, the spokesperson for the minister coordinating the secret services used Polish police resources to attack Nawrocki,” one example reads.
The team of experts also emphasized that all rules were broken to attack the emerging election frontrunner. “A glaring example of actions contradicting the apolitical nature of the national security system was the use by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his subordinates of information regarding the circumstances and actions undertaken by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) during the vetting process of Karol Nawrocki,” the report says.
The report also references the still-unexplained funding of a “voter turnout initiative,” which was, in fact, a campaign—funded by external entities—mainly targeting Sławomir Mentzen and Karol Nawrocki.
Serious Security Threats
“The seriousness of the matter is underscored by the fact that the analysis of the manipulative operations targeting public opinion during the campaign was included in the OSCE report,” the authors stress.
Analysts also noted the participation in the race of a candidate with overtly pro-Russian views. “The registration of Maciej Maciak as a candidate in the presidential election granted him the ability to infect public opinion with narratives identical to those propagated by the Kremlin’s anti-Polish messaging,” the report states.
Particular attention was given not only to threats from Russia, but also from Germany. “Government agencies from Germany (e.g., the Federal Agency for Civic Education), influential foundations (e.g., the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Foundation), and major media centers were involved in operations threatening the integrity of the electoral process in our country,” it says.
German media published biased articles even while voting was underway in Poland. An analysis of these publications indicates that “German outlets promoted narratives suggesting that electing any candidate other than Rafał Trzaskowski would pose a risk not only to Poland, but to all of Europe.”