Western Balkans citizens legally resident in EU equal to 14% of region’s population
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has stripped Belarus of the right to hold the World Championship this year
Alexei Navalny arrested on arrival as he returns home
LONG READ: The oligarch problem
Russia's National Welfare Fund accounts for almost 12% of GDP
Police arresting activists ahead of Saturday’s demonstration in support of Navalny
Biden seeking a five-year extension to START II missile treaty
Russian consumer confidence index drops q/q, y/y in 4Q20
Western Balkans and Ukraine urged to scrutinise coal subsidies
Oligarchs trying to derail Ukraine’s privatisation programme, warns the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund
Private finance mobilised by development banks up 9% to $175bn in 2019
VISEGRAD BLOG: Central Europe's populists need a new strategy for Biden
OUTLOOK 2021 Lithuania
EBRD says loan to Estonia’s controversial Porto Franco project was never disbursed
Czech MPs pass protectionist food law in violation of EU rules
M&A in Central and Eastern Europe fell 16% in value in 2020, says CMS report
Hungarian vehicle makers hit by supply chain shortage
COVID-19 and Trump’s indifference helped human rights abusers in 2020
OUTLOOK 2021 Poland
OUTLOOK 2021 Slovakia
BRICKS & MORTAR: Rosier future beckons for CEE retailers after year of change and disruption
FDI inflows to CEE down 58% in 1H20 but rebound expected
Albania needs reforms for e-commerce to thrive, says World Bank
BALKAN BLOG: US approach to switch from quick-fix dealmaking to experience and cooperation
Corona-induced slump in global clothing sector dragged down Albania’s 2020 exports
Bosnia's exports in 2020 amounted to BAM10.5bn, trade deficit to BAM6.3bn
Bulgaria's Biodit first company to IPO on new BEAM market
Bulgaria’s government considers gradual easing of COVID-related restrictions
Sofia-based LAUNCHub Ventures holds first close of new fund on €44mn
Spring lockdown caused spike in online transactions in Croatia
ING: Growth in the Balkans: from zero to hero again?
Labour demand down 28% y/y in Croatia in 2020
EBRD investments reach record €11bn in pandemic-struck 2020
OUTLOOK 2021 Moldova
Storming parliaments: New Europe's greatest hits
World Bank revises projection for Moldova’s 2020 GDP decline to 7.2%
Montenegrins say state administration is most corrupt institution
North Macedonia plans to cut personal income tax in IT sector to zero in 2023
Romania government to pursue “ambitious” timetable for justice reforms
OUTLOOK 2021 Romania
OUTLOOK 2021 Slovenia
Slovenia’s opposition files no-confidence motion against Jansa cabinet
Slovenia’s government to release funds to news agency STA after EU pressure
UK Moneyhub picks Slovenia for post-Brexit European base
D’S Damat franchise deals ‘show Turkey’s hard-pressed mall operators becoming their own tenants’
Turkey’s benchmark rate held as concerns over faltering recovery come to fore
Turkish lira breaches HSBC’s stop-loss, Turkey ETF signalling outflows
CAUCASUS BLOG : What can Biden offer the Caucasus and Stans, all but forgotten about by Trump?
Armenia ‘to extend life of its 1970s Metsamor nuclear power plant after 2026’
OUTLOOK 2021 Armenia
COMMENT: Record high debt levels will slow post-coronavirus recovery, threaten some countries' financial stability, says IIF
OUTLOOK 2021 Georgia
Iran’s Khamenei menaces private citizen Trump with image of aircraft shadowing blond golfer
Iran’s technology minister indicted for failing to properly implement internet censorship
No US move to rejoin Iran nuclear deal imminent, say Biden national security nominees
TEHRAN BLOG: Will Biden bet on a quick return to the Iran nuclear deal?
Central Asia vaccination plans underwhelm, but governments look unruffled
Fears of authoritarianism as Kyrgyz populist wins landslide and backing for ‘Khanstitution’
Mongolia's PM quits amid protests over treatment of mother with coronavirus and newborn baby
Mongolia's winter dzud set to be one of most extreme on record says Red Cross
Mongolian coal exports to China paralysed as Beijing demands virus testing of truck drivers
Mongolia fears economic damage as country faces up to its first local transmissions of coronavirus
OUTLOOK 2021 Tajikistan
OUTLOOK 2021 Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: How the Grinch stole New Year
COMMENT: Uzbekistan is being transformed, but where are the democratic reforms?
Download the pdf version
More...
Poland’s nativist President Andrzej Duda has won the presidential election, beating centre-right mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski in the run-off vote on Sunday, results from nearly 100% precincts showed on July 13.
Duda won 51.14% of the votes versus Trzaskowski’s 48.86%. Turnout was 68.12%, the second-highest in the history of Poland’s presidential contests after 1990. Just under 500,000 votes separated the rivals with over 10.4mn Poles supporting Duda while 9.9mn voted Trzaskowski.
Duda’s victory is now expected to pave the way for the ruling right-wing coalition, led by Law and Justice (PiS), to continue with its reformist – if hugely controversial and divisive – agenda.
In his marginally unsuccessful campaign, Trzaskowski – fielded by Poland’s biggest opposition party, Civic Platform (PO) - accentuated change and counterbalancing PiS.
PiS’s overhauling of Poland’s judiciary, targeting the LGBT people and migrants in daily as well as campaign trail rhetoric, the party’s subservience to Catholic Church, or widespread nepotism, have long stoked divisions in the society.
The ruling party also appears likely to get back on the collision course with the EU. The European Commission is investigating the reform of the judiciary, as Brussels says it putting the courts under the direct political control of the government.
The ruling party’s complete control of the state media – which ran an unwavering campaign of support for Duda while attacking Trzaskowski for being alleged agent of foreign interests - has also contributed to acrimony. Duda might attempt to lessen that although there is little from his first term in office to consider that a likely scenario.
Instead, the uncontrollable part of the media – with significant foreign ownership of some – is a problem that needs attention, PiS’s functionaries have long said. The criticism increased in the wake of unflattering coverage of the government and Duda by US-owned broadcaster TVN and partly German-owned tabloid Fakt.
Duda struck a conciliatory note in statements following the early results of the vote, based on an exit poll, which initially showed the president was only 0.8pp ahead of Trzaskowski.
The president called for creating a “coalition of Polish matters,” a movement, he said, of “politicians of different options and people who support them.”
“Let’s support each other if values like family, our Polish community, our culture, traditions, history, heroism, and pride are important to us,” Duda said.
The opposition was quick to lambast those words as lacking credibility after a campaign in which Duda attacked the LGBT Poles or independent media.
Duda secures reelection at a difficult time for the Polish economy. Poland’s GDP is expected to sink around 4% in 2020 in the aftermath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The president and the PiS government are taking credit, however, for the pandemic not having damaged life in Poland to the extent seen in Italy or the UK.
With Duda at the helm for another five years, PiS’ power remains largely unchallenged, bar for the Senate, where the opposition holds a tiny minority. The opposition now has three years before the next general election in which it might attempt to win back a parliamentary majority and set up a two-year period of governing with hostile Duda, who will remain in office until 2025.
The final result of the election could still change once all the votes have been counted but the change will not be significant.
“[The] difference is large enough that we have to accept the result,” Grzegorz Schetyna, the former head of Poland’s opposition Civic Platform (PO) party and member of parliament told opposition-leaning private broadcaster TVN24 on Monday.
PO’s officials had earlier flagged a possibility of irregularities in the vote, especially in polling stations abroad.
Register here to continue reading this article and 5 more for free or purchase 12 months full website access including the bne Magazine for just $250/year.
Register to read the bne monthly magazine for free:
Already registered
Password could contain only a-z0-9\+*?[^]$(){}=!<>|:-_ characters and have 8-20 symbols length.
Please complete your registration by confirming your email address.
A confirmation email has been sent to the email address you provided.
Forgotten password?
Email field can't be empty.
No user with this email address.
Access recovery request has expired, or you are using the wrong recovery token. Please, try again.
Access recover request has expired. Please, try again.
To continue viewing our content you need to complete the registration process.
Please look for an email that was sent to with the subject line "Confirmation bne IntelliNews access". This email will have instructions on how to complete registration process. Please check in your "Junk" folder in case this communication was misdirected in your email system.
If you have any questions please contact us at sales@intellinews.com
Sorry, but you have used all your free articles fro this month for bne IntelliNews. Subscribe to continue reading for only $119 per year.
Your subscription includes:
For the meantime we are also offering a free subscription to bne's digital weekly newspaper to subscribers to the online package.
Click here for more subscription options, including to the print version of our flagship monthly magazine:
More subscription options
Take a trial to our premium daily news service aimed at professional investors that covers the 30 countries of emerging Europe:
Get IntelliNews PRO
For any other enquiries about our products or corporate discounts please contact us at sales@intellinews.com
If you no longer wish to receive our emails, unsubscribe here.
Magazine annual electronic subscription
Magazine annual print subscription
Website & Archive annual subscription
Combined package: web access & magazine print annual subscription