The Kremlin’s Influence Reaches Warsaw

It may seem surprising, but the only political formation that is pro-Russian in Poland is in fact made up of extreme nationalists. However, those who have looked into the rise of far-right across Europe in the recent years would be less surprised. Practically all the extreme far-right parties in Europe – including French National Front, Alternative for Germany, the Brexit Party or the Italian Lega – are all pro-Russian.

This increasingly looks like a design that is promoted and supported from Moscow. Recent development and the rise of Confederation suggest that even Poland has ceased to be an exception in this trend.

For the first time since the fall of communism, Poland has an openly pro-Russian party – called Konfederacja/Confederation – that appeals to a meaningful sector of the population. In the recent elections to the European Parliament, the Confederation got 4.6% of votes, which means that whilst it did not win seats in the European Parliament (Poland applies 5% threshold), it came out as the 4^th strongest party.

This may seem as a minor distortion in the party system that is dominated by two large blocks (socially-conservative Law and Justice and a liberal European Coalition), yet considering the fact that the Confederation was put together only 3 months ago, its result is impressive.