As part of the Civic Education Center’s program, school elections were held in Bolesławiec on September 30. This year, five schools took part: I and II General Secondary Schools, Municipal Middle School No. 2, the I Private Middle School, and the Special School Preparing for Employment.

Support for Palikot in Bolesławiec was impressive and 30 percent higher than the nationwide result from more than a thousand schools. II General Secondary School and Municipal Middle School No. 2 gave 66 percent of their votes to the Palikot Support Movement, with turnout exceeding 60 percent. Civic Platform received 15 percent of the votes, and Law and Justice—7 percent.

Palikot also won at I General Secondary School—43 percent, with low turnout of only 27 percent. Civic Platform received 16 percent, as did Law and Justice. At the I Private Middle School, Civic Platform won by two percentage points, with 40 percent; the Palikot Support Movement received 38 percent, and Law and Justice only 9 percent. Middle school students had high turnout—68 percent.

Students at the Special School Preparing for Employment voted completely differently, with turnout at 52 percent. Here, Law and Justice won with 33 percent, while Poland Comes First came second with 25 percent. Palikot received only 14 percent, and Civic Platform—8 percent.

A secular Poland, without middle schools and with legal marijuana

What kind of Poland do young people want? One where life is good and inexpensive. Definitely a secular one. Young people support separating Church and state and returning religious education lessons to parish classrooms. They express these demands plainly. They hope that the Palikot Support Movement will address precisely these issues, and they are giving it the green light.

Young people also demand that middle schools be abolished. “We want the education minister replaced and middle schools abolished,” says Radek, and his classmates agree with him and do not have a high opinion of education in middle schools.

“Middle schools are not needed; nobody learns there,” says Karolina. “It was simply a stupid idea to open them. We should return to the system of eight-year primary schools.”

The legalization of soft drugs is also being discussed. Young people are not afraid of it in the way adults are. “Adults know little about drugs, which is why they are afraid of them,” says Adriana.

Students talk about the benefits of taxes and excise duties imposed on marijuana sellers. “The state makes money from alcohol; it could make money from marijuana,” says Radek. “It could pay off and be good for the state.”

Young people say clearly that politicians are letting them down by failing to keep their campaign promises. They maneuver when making unpopular decisions and most often avoid difficult decisions.

Young people are assertive and do not consider themselves victims of democracy. Nor do they have any illusions that politicians will do anything for them selflessly. The teacher organizing the elections at II General Secondary School regards this choice as a kind of youthful rebellion. “It is a period in a person’s life when they rebel, reject the adult world, and seek radical solutions,” says Mieczysław Szwed. “This may explain the election results to a great extent.”

What does Palikot have that others do not?

Nationwide results from 1,069 schools, with 207,099 votes cast, show that three parties matter to young people: the Palikot Movement, with 36 percent of the vote; Civic Platform, with 20.5 percent; and Law and Justice, with 20.8 percent.

Students in Bolesławiec emphasized their support for the Movement even more strongly. Palikot won them over neither with his relaxed approach to soft drugs nor with the legalization of civil partnerships.

During a meeting with students of II General Secondary School, the young people spoke openly about their sympathies and expectations of the politician. Several of Janusz Palikot’s qualities earned their trust. “He is a politician who presents his views openly, without fearing that he will make enemies,” says Adrian from the humanities class.

Young voters like the politician’s drive and the fact that his party consists of new people, unknown on the political scene. As Palikot’s electorate, they feel confident and politically empowered. If the politician fails to meet their expectations, they will not vote for him again. During his term, they intend to remind him of their presence. In their view, a politician should know who elected him and why.

“We do not like everything about Palikot, but none of us is looking for either an ideal program or an ideal politician,” says a high school student about his choice. “We know that Palikot wants to realize his vision and put his own views into practice. I do not know whether he will listen to us, but it would be sensible and wise of him to stand on the side of his electorate,” the eighteen-year-old adds.

The Special School prefers Kaczyński

Students at the Special School chose an equally radical but conservative politician. Jarosław Kaczyński, who has built his image around the role of protector of the wronged and a kind of avenger of their grievances, received a high result here—33 percent of the votes, while 25 percent went to Poland Comes First.

There is no point in hiding the fact that the Special School, struggling with enormous problems concerning its premises and operating under the supervision of the County Office, may feel like an unwanted and excluded citizen. It is a member of the community in need of exceptional support and care, which is denied to it, and it is treated without the consideration it deserves. The County Office is perceived as a stronghold of Civic Platform. It is therefore unsurprising that the party performed poorly at the school, receiving 8 percent, while Jarosław Kaczyński’s party won.

The school election results and conversations with students show that young people are interested in politics. They feel completely at home in a democracy and are active voters. They have their own opinions and their own ideas for Poland and for their chosen candidates—representatives of their views.

The Poland chosen by teenagers differs from the one chosen by their parents. The young people’s choice is considered. It is possible that Palikot’s victory also shows the profound mental transformation of Poles and the younger generation that has taken place since 1989. It will be interesting to see how the parliamentary elections translate into local elections, when the Palikot Support Movement fields its candidate for mayor of Bolesławiec.

(information: Grażyna Hanaf)