Prime Minister Donald Tusk is the strongest among the governing coalition’s leaders, and one would be hard-pressed to find a successor in his party. In this sense, Tusk has monopolised the governing camp. A similar situation can be observed in Prawo i Sprawiedliwość. Jarosław Kaczyński is unlikely to be challenged as the party’s leader, but for many it is becoming increasingly obvious that his party will not survive in the form we have come to know. However, regardless of what the future holds, Jarosław Kaczyński cannot afford to intensify this polarisation for much longer.
Given this perspective, the Forum’s motto, ‘Time of new leaders’ may come across as heresy or provocation. There is no room for new leaders when the old ones are as strong as ever. And yet, this slogan expresses not only an important thought, but also a profound social expectation. While we continue to vote traditionally, the need to abandon political polarisation has surfaced in a number of surveys. This is the reason for the success of politicians such as Szymon Hołownia and, a few years earlier, Paweł Kukiz, Ryszard Petru, and Andrzej Duda. The most recent beneficiary of the demand for new leaders is Sławomir Mentzen. He emerged seemingly from nowhere and swiftly assumed leadership of the political force that frequently ranked third or fourth in the Polish parliament.
It would be naive to call for the resignations of Kaczyński and Tusk. Making such demands is not the role of a commentator. Yet, I can’t shake the sense that we are perched on the edge of a volcano, with a momentous change looming just around the corner.
During the Forum, we will explore the prospects for such a change. We will discuss changes within the European Union, shifts in European and Polish parliamentarism, and the emergence of new leadership in politics, the economy, and even within the Polish Church.
Although our current leaders are strong, change – much like the passage of time – is inevitable. Eventually, the architects of the successes and failures of the past 30 years will step aside, making way for new leaders who will be given the opportunity by history to build upon and surpass their predecessors' achievements. Will they be better or worse? Will they make Poland better or ruin it? Will they push us forward or relegate us back to the Dark Ages? I will be watching them with great interest. We may see some of them at the Forum.
