Poland’s two highest-ranking military officers failed to give reasons for their resignations five days before parliamentary elections. But the political context of this step, which was probably not taken lightly, is obvious. Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak attacked the two generals in the spring and, according to Polish media, also informally created parallel leadership structures in the army.
For all to see, he misused his appearances before soldiers for election campaign purposes. In the final phase of the election campaign, he published parts of secret documents from the time of the previous government to accuse the previous government of treason based on these fragments. This accusation indirectly affected all officers who were already in senior positions at the time.
Undermined state institutions
Poland’s right-wing government reduced state institutions to instruments of the national-conservative PiS and thus undermined them. Since the elimination of the Constitutional Court immediately after her electoral victory in 2015, she has consistently placed the preservation of her own power above reasons of state.
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In the case of the armed forces, this is particularly dramatic given Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and not just Poland. The security of all of Europe also depends on the functioning of the army of NATO’s largest member in the East.