As announced, on Friday, March 14, at 4:00 p.m., a meeting with the Confederation candidate for President of the Republic of Poland – Sławomir Mentzen – began at the Bolesławiec market square. Attendance was good. Part of the square, from the wedding palace to the fountain, filled with people, predominantly young.
The controversial politician is currently visiting towns in Lower Silesia and encouraging people to participate in the presidential election and vote for him. The meeting in Bolesławiec lasted about an hour. Sławomir Mentzen devoted half an hour to his speech. During the remaining time, he took photos with young people.
During his speech in Bolesławiec, as in other cities, Mentzen had nothing good to say about politicians. He criticized everyone who had ruled and continues to rule Poland for the past 20 years. In his view, they are incompetent people who ruin everything they undertake. He pointed to the poorly functioning healthcare system and judiciary. The most expensive electricity in Europe, and no nuclear power plant.
He criticized those in power for failing to provide security in terms of defense and for financially supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians. He assured the audience that if he became president, he would not allow Polish troops to be sent to Ukraine. He also promised not to allow Germany to send refugees to Poland. In such cases, he announced that police cars would be confiscated and German police officers arrested.
He announced that he would not allow the Green Deal, the migration pact, or the introduction of new taxes and increases to existing ones. He also promised pensioners that their benefits would not be taxed.
The candidate’s speech somewhat resembled a wish list and a situation in which a speaker asks the gathered crowd whether they want to be beautiful, healthy and wealthy. In such a case, the listeners can give only one answer: Yes, we do!
Czy zagłosujesz na Sławomira Mentzena?
Sławomir Mentzen’s full speech in Bolesławiec:
How does Sławomir Mentzen intend to fulfill his promises?
In speeches at pre-election rallies, alongside criticism of everything and lists of mistakes, problems and shortcomings, there are no proposals for how to fix them or what should be done. This is not even about presenting an idea for specific corrective measures, but about how Sławomir Mentzen, if he wins the election, intends to cooperate with the currently governing coalition (which he also calls incompetent), namely the government, Sejm and Senate. Poland has a parliamentary-cabinet system, not a presidential system with strong presidential power that would give the president the ability to govern independently.
This means that the president has limited powers and limited ability to independently influence what happens in the country. In terms of lawmaking, the president has legislative initiative and the power of veto, as well as representative functions, but without cooperation with Donald Tusk’s government and Parliament, he can accomplish little on his own in repairing the state.
He can, of course, veto everything or almost everything, but that would only cause the other side – the Sejm and the government – to behave similarly. To implement its ideas in the country, Confederation and Mentzen would need a majority in the Sejm and their own government. Otherwise, they would be condemned either to cooperation or to deadlock and a power struggle at the top, similar to the one currently taking place between President Andrzej Duda and the government.
Controversy surrounding Sławomir Mentzen and Confederation
Opponents of Confederation accuse its representatives, among other things, of populism, manipulation and propaganda, allegedly manifested in oversimplifying reality and presenting everything in black-and-white terms, whereas the contemporary world is in fact characterized by diversity and complex political, economic and social processes.
A simple vision of the world is attractive, easy to understand and appeals to his supporters, especially younger ones. This was discussed during the recent meeting of Civic Coalition women parliamentarians with Bolesławiec residents, who openly regard the radical views expressed by Confederation as a threat to democratic values. Sławomir Mentzen’s political opponents remind him of what he said in 2019.
In 2023, an article appeared on the konkret24 website, in which we read:
“We do not want Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxes or the European Union,” Sławomir Mentzen, one of Confederation’s leaders, said in 2019. He now claims that these are not his views, but rather a “fragment cut out of context.”
As he later explained, this fragment had been cut from his lecture on political marketing. Now, before the election, his rhetoric has changed. The Confederation candidate has softened his statements. They contain fewer radical elements. He still tries to speak concretely and decisively, using simple sentences and comparisons. His simple vision of the world appeals to his supporters, according to the principle: if I do not understand something, it is probably untrue.
The so-called novelty effect also works in Mentzen’s and Confederation’s favor. It is presented as an alternative to the so-called PiS-PO establishment, which has alternately governed for many years. That is why the slogan “PiS-PO – two sides of the same evil” is fashionable and frequently used among Confederation circles. According to polls, Sławomir Mentzen is currently among the top three candidates for President of the Republic of Poland, alongside Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki. Some polls give him more votes than Karol Nawrocki. His supporters believe that the Confederation candidate can reach the second round of the election and compete for the office of President of the Republic of Poland. Will this happen? We will find out soon.