In Poland, after eight years in power, the populist national party PiS has turned. The election victory of the progressive camp on Tuesday, December 12th brought Donald Tusk to the post of Prime Minister. The new strongman has just taken over the national media in the name of democratic restoration.
Published on December 22, 2023 12:11 p.m
Reading time: 2 minutes
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Brussels, December 13, 2023. (OLIVIER MATTHYS / MAXPPP)
All it took was a resolution by the National Assembly on Tuesday, December 19th, which provided for the dismissal in a few hours of all senior employees of television, radio and the national press agency. Police forces were even stationed outside the buildings to prevent them from entering their offices and to allow the new teams to settle in.
On air, the presenters barely have time to announce the news: “It’s a historic moment in the history of television,” said this TVP journalist. And then the programs are interrupted. The focus is on the screen. There is no longer a stage on the ongoing news channel, no more guests, but an old soap opera.
Restoration of the rule of law
All of this looks more like putschist methods than those of a pro-European government. This is the challenge facing the new coalition led by Donald Tusk, who took office just ten days ago. How can we restore the rule of law in a country that has slowly drifted toward authoritarian rule? How can we dismantle the propaganda apparatus that has corrupted the media?
In Poland, the civil service had become a simple transmission belt for nationalist leaders, an outlet for biased information and vicious attacks on the opposition. When the Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, it carried out an even more serious purge, disembarking dozens of journalists and changing the law.
Restoring the impartiality of the public media
The incumbent Prime Minister uses this method, but above all promises new legislation to restore the impartiality of the public media and protect its independence. Clearly the former team in power is crying foul. Every third Pole only has access to the public network for information. We understand that the PiS populists do not want to lose contact with their voters.
WATCH: Poland's new EU-friendly government under Donald Tusk has taken control of the country's public broadcasters, sacking the boards of TVP and Polskie Radio and removing the stations from their schedules.
The move sparked a sit-in by the conservative Law and Justice party… pic.twitter.com/dCnywLTxLx
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So they persevere. Some MPs even forced the doors of the television to occupy the premises. They are trying to mobilize public opinion and there have been some demonstrations here and there. But to hear them denounce control of the media is a “grotesque farce,” says the daily Rzeczpospolita. In this huge political comedy, the PiS actors should, above all, learn to leave the stage.