Oct 13, 2019

Law and Justice, Poland's ruling nationalist party, easily wins elections

Axios

Leader of the Law and Justice party Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Photo: JP Black/LightRocket via Getty Images

Poland's ruling Law and Justice party is set to extend its parliamentary majority after coming in first with 43.6% of the vote in Sunday's elections, according to an exit poll reported by AP.

Why it matters: The right-wing, populist Polish government has clashed with the European Union over issues related to the rule of law, with the EU passing a motion in 2017 censuring Poland for cracking down on judicial independence. While Law and Justice has maintained popularity thanks in part to a generous social welfare system and strong economic growth, the party's social conservatism and targeting of LGBT people have contributed to an increasingly polarized society.

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Michal Baranowski

Polish parliamentary elections raise stakes for presidential vote

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice political party. Photo: Carsten Koall/Getty Images.

Poland's Law and Justice party (PiS) prevailed this weekend in parliamentary elections marked by a record turnout of 61%, cementing the euroskeptic party's hold on power domestically and potentially impacting democratic trends across the EU.

The big picture: The PiS has presided over fast economic growth (above 5% in 2018), the delivery of generous social programs, and a more conservative course on many issues, such as LGBT rights, that are deeply polarizing. But after an often controversial 4-year term, the party has now received a sign of popular approval.

Go deeperArrowOct 14, 2019
Zachary Basu

Spain's Socialists set to win election as far-right doubles vote share

Socialist Party leader Pedro Sánchez. Photo: Charlie Perez/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Spain's Socialist Party is poised to win the country's second parliamentary election in less than a year, but likely won't win enough seats to govern with a majority, according to preliminary results reported by AP.

The big picture: Socialist leader and acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the snap election — Spain's fourth in as many years — after his party won in the April elections but failed to reach a coalition agreement with other parties. Sunday's vote, which also saw the far-right populist party Vox surge to third place, could result in more political paralysis for a country that has struggled with stable governance in the years since the financial crisis.

Keep ReadingArrowNov 10, 2019
Jacob Knutson

2020 Democrats pressured to release potential Supreme Court nominees

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Demand Justice, a liberal judicial group, will release a list of 32 suggested Supreme Court nominees for any future Democratic president in an attempt to persuade the 2020 Democratic candidates to do the same, reports the Washington Post.

The big picture: Demand Justice's plan is meant to mimic President Trump’s 2016 release of his list of potential Supreme Court picks to relieve voters who were skeptical about his conservative credentials.

Go deeperArrowOct 15, 2019