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The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Poland's election is a pivotal moment for Europe ... and beyond
Much of this reaction has no doubt been shaped in part by the fact that for years Poles used to flock abroad for work, leaving the lingering notion that things were far from good in their home country. That Poland has had its economic woes in past decades is undeniable, but here's a few curious facts worth considering in taking stock of any fresh appraisal of this Central European nation. For example, how many of us knew that Poland's manufacturing sector is booming and that since it joined the EU in 2004 it has never known recession apart from briefly at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic? How many of us too realise that the evidence of such growth with income per person having trebled since 1995, is clearly visible to anyone visiting Poland? Having journeyed through or stayed in the country many times these past few years since Russia's invasion of Poland's neighbour Ukraine, I, like other visitors, have always been struck by its burgeoning infrastructure projects often built with EU money. This is a nation driven by strong private consumption and investment. It's one too as The Economist magazine recently pointed where 'living standards, adjusted for purchasing power, are about to eclipse Japan's.' Detractors will doubtless quickly point out that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD has just revised down its GDP growth forecast for Poland to 3.3 % cent for 2025, from a forecast of 3.4 % in February 2025, but even such sceptics would have to admit that this a country more than holding its own economically. And on that very subject of holding its own, Poland, a country long wary of the threat from Russia, has also transformed itself into Europe's most overlooked military power with a bigger army than Britain, France or Germany and the third largest in NATO. In short, Poland matters for Europe and indeed the wider geopolitical world right now and it's against such a backdrop that the country today – June 1st - faces a decisive run off-vote to elect its president. Although the president's role is a largely ceremonial one, today's election outcome will still be extremely significant for how Poland is governed in the coming years. Karol Nawrocki, a non-partisan Presidential candidate supported by the Law and Justice Party, greets supporters during a political rally as the Presidential campaign enters the last days ahead of the runoff on May 29, 2025 MAGA drive Watching closely too are US and European conservatives who view the run-off vote as being potentially decisive not just for the EU but also for right wing populists aligned with US president Donald Trump's MAGA drive to dominate Europe. Such is this level of importance, that the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the United States' premier conservative gathering, held its first meeting in Poland last Tuesday, just five days before today's tightly contested election. 'We need you to elect the right leader,' Kristi Noem, the US Homeland Security Secretary and a prominent Trump ally, said in a speech at the event. 'You will be the leaders that will turn Europe back to conservative values.' Speaking about the two contenders in the run-off, who are Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the main centrist ruling party Civic Platform (PO) and national conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, Noem left no one in any doubt as to who Trump would like to see win. Urging Poland's voters in her speech at the CPAC to elect Nawrocki as someone who would lead Poland in a style similar to Trump, Noem went on to describe his pro-EU rival Trzaskowski as 'an absolute train wreck of a leader'. READ MORE: Scotland's oldest international medical charity is bringing hope to Himalayas Trump's sledgehammer politics are wreaking havoc in every sphere both home and away Is it actually possible for Ukraine to ever secure a just peace? Soldiers of fortune: Exposing the privatisation and profiteering of Palestinian pain So just how did today's contest come about and what will be the significance of its outcome both for Poland, Europe and the wider geopolitical landscape? The first thing to recognise is that after the first round in the election, Trzaskowski secured a narrow 31.4% to 29.5% lead and polls now suggest they are currently running neck-and-neck. Following today's second-round run-off the winner will succeed incumbent President Andrzej Duda when his second and final term in office expires in August. While the powers of the president are largely symbolic it's not quite as simple as that. Whoever is in office for example has the power to veto bills passed by parliament, a power that the PiS-aligned Duda has used to stymie the agenda of the current government. To put this another way, Donald Tusk, the liberal Polish prime minister elected at the head of a coalition in late 2023, quite simply has had to 'cohabit' with Duda, and lacks the three-fifths parliamentary majority required to overturn his legislative veto. For precisely that reason Tusk needs Trzaskowski to become president so he can pursue the judicial overhaul and other reforms that are blocked by the outgoing Duda. But other things are also at stake in terms of whoever takes the office of president. For example, as Aleks Szczerbiak, Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex and contributor to the news portal 'Notes From Poland', recently pointed out, the president does have other competencies that relate to foreign affairs. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6 (AP Photo/Omar Havana) Security policy The most important of these is that the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces so can influence debates on security policy. Ambassadorial appointments also have to be approved by the president which explains why Poland does not currently have a full time ambassador to Washington because Duda refuses accept the Tusk government's nominee. As today's contest reaches its height a total of 13 candidates are vying for the presidency but it is the battle between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki on which all eyes are focused. Trzaskowski, 53, is an Oxford-educated son of a jazz musician who champions a liberal agenda that stresses the importance of women's rights and strong ties with the European Union and NATO. One of his campaign promises includes strengthening Poland's position in the EU. Another one of his pledges is to relax abortion laws, however, he has been quiet on this issue during the run-up to the election. He has also been supportive of the LGBTQ community and has attended pride parades. This could alienate some more conservative voters who live outside urban centres. Nawrocki, 42, a historian, has positioned himself as a newcomer with no political baggage. He wants Poland to follow a path inspired by Trump and regards Washington as Warsaw's key ally, not Brussels. Nawrocki opposes abortion and aims to keep coal mines operating until Poland develops its own nuclear energy. He opposes EU migration policies. Nawrocki by and large has dominated public debate - be it over questions about his contorversial acquisition of a flat from a pensioner or an admission that he took part in orchestrated brawls. 'All my sports activities were based on the strength of my heart, the strength of my muscles, my fists,' Nawrocki, an amateur boxer, told a debate when confronted over reports he had been involved in mass organised fights between football hooligans. 'It was a fair competition, regardless of the form,' he insisted. For both contenders though one of the key issues dominating the election is the Russia- Ukraine war. When the war first broke out in February 2022, Poland threw its full support behind Ukraine, welcoming more than one million Ukrainian refugees who crossed the border without documents. Earlier this month, Tusk, alongside Britain, France and Germany's leaders, visited Kyiv while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin an ultimatum to enact an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Tusk was determined to help stress that Europe is ready to stand by Ukraine even as America's commitment has weakened. It was a measure of Poland's importance and standing among the allies that Tusk was in attendance. By contrast though - as The Economist magazine recently highlighted - Poland's stance is in sharp distinction to the rest of the 'Visegrad Four'. 'Hungary under Viktor Orban and Slovakia under Robert Fico have both taken the side of Russia rather than Ukraine; and the Czech Republic is expected to tilt in that direction after elections in October,' the magazine noted. Warsaw's Mayor and presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski celebrates exit poll results during the presidential election night in Sandomierz, Poland, Sunday, May 18 (AP Photo/ Aleksander Kalka) Tense relations In terms of today's vote though the fact that relations between Poland and Ukraine have grown tense despite Tusk's support are sure to have an impact on the ballot. Earlier this year, Polish farmers led protests, arguing the market had been flooded with cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. There are emerging reports too of Ukrainian refugees facing discrimination in Poland, as well as resentment about welfare provided to them. There have also been growing fears of a spillover of Russian aggression to Poland due to its proximity to Ukraine. On May 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw said an investigation had revealed that Moscow's intelligence agencies had orchestrated a massive fire at a shopping centre in Warsaw back in May 2024. Reports of foreign election interference have also recently spooked voters. As The Economist summed it up, there are two 'visions' dominating the election. 'One vision, from the candidate of the Law and Justice (pis) party, is a brand of right-wing nationalism that feeds off conflict with Poland's neighbours and the European Union. The other, from the centre, is that, in a dangerous world, Poland needs Europe to magnify its strengths, just as Europe needs Poland as a source of security and economic dynamism.' Given these competing visons, it's hardly surprising then that many see Poland's future relationship with the EU has hinging on today's outcome. 'One election two futures,' is how one political commentator referred to it. For while EU membership has massively boosted Poland's development, the rise of populism has reshaped public debate in the country and the political landscape. 'Sunday's outcome means either a clean break with Poland's past as one of the bad boys of the EU, or a return to a more turbulent relationship with Brussels,' noted Politico magazine a few days ago. Watching closely too are Europe's right wing populists who are keen to avoid a repeat of their recent defeat in Romania. 'Sunday's vote is crucial for the future of Europe,' George Simion, the Romanian ultranationalist who narrowly lost his country's presidential race earlier this month despite a surge in support for the far right,' told the Financial Times (FT). Simion went on to warn that a loss in Poland could further diminish the influence of the populist right across central and eastern Europe and lead to defeat for Prime Minister Viktor Orban in next year's parliamentary elections in Hungary. 'If Maga really wants to go international, they need now a victory in Poland,' Simion was cited by the FT as warning about today's election outcome. Under Tusk there's no doubt that Poland is back as one of the leading countries in the EU, setting the bloc's direction alongside Germany and France. But his core promise of undoing the legal changes pushed through by PiS in the eight years it ruled Poland remains hamstrung making today's vote a potential lynchpin moment. Sense of purpose As Aleks Szczerbiak of the news portal 'Notes From Poland', says 'a victory for Trzaskowski will provide the Tusk government with renewed momentum and a clear two-and-a-half year run before the next parliamentary election, during which it can re-build its support base and restore a sense of purpose (as well, of course, as limiting the ability of a future PiS government to pursue its agenda)' On the other hand a Nawrocki win, would prolong the impasse. He would continue blocking Tusk's reforms and his overriding goal would be to prepare the ground for PiS's return to power in the next parliamentary poll. At the time of writing this campaigning in Poland is now all but over and polls open at 7am Polish time today and close at 9pm. Most expect exit polls will be published shortly afterwards with a full result likely known by Monday. Poland, once a dreary backwater of Cold War communism is now a European powerhouse and prosperous member of the EU. It would be hard then to overstate just how important today's election is on so many levels. From the future of the EU, to the survival of right-wing populist politics on the continent, to the war in Ukraine and role of NATO, so much hinges on this pivotal and potentially dangerous moment. The stakes then could not be higher and those Poles heading today to vote are no doubt acutely aware of it.
The National
8 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Poland's election is a pivotal moment for Europe
Much of this reaction has no doubt been shaped in part by the fact that, for years, Poles used to flock abroad for work, leaving the lingering notion that things were far from good in their home country. That Poland has had its economic woes in past decades is undeniable, but here are a few curious facts worth considering in taking stock of any fresh appraisal of this Central European nation. For example, how many of us knew that Poland's manufacturing sector is booming and that since it joined the EU in 2004, it has never known recession apart from briefly at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic? READ MORE: Why the UK media 180 on Gaza is too little, too late How many of us too realise that the evidence of such growth with income per person having trebled since 1995, is clearly visible to anyone visiting Poland? Having journeyed through or stayed in the country many times these past few years since Russia's invasion of Poland's neighbour Ukraine, I – like other visitors – have always been struck by its burgeoning infrastructure projects often built with EU money. This is a nation driven by strong private consumption and investment. It's one too as The Economist magazine recently pointed where 'living standards, adjusted for purchasing power, are about to eclipse Japan's'. Detractors will doubtless quickly point out that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD has just revised down its GDP growth forecast for Poland to 3.3% for 2025, from a forecast of 3.4% in February 2025, but even such sceptics would have to admit that this a country more than holding its own economically. And on that very subject of holding its own, Poland, a country long wary of the threat from Russia, has also transformed itself into Europe's most overlooked military power with a bigger army than Britain, France or Germany and the third largest in Nato. In short, Poland matters for Europe and indeed the wider geopolitical world right now and it's against such a backdrop that the country today – June 1 – faces a decisive run-off vote to elect its president. Although the president's role is a largely ceremonial one, today's election outcome will still be extremely significant for how Poland is governed in the coming years. Watching closely too are US and European conservatives who view the run-off vote as being potentially decisive not just for the EU but also for right-wing populists aligned with US president Donald Trump's MAGA drive to dominate Europe. (Image:) Such is this level of importance that the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the United States' premier conservative gathering, held its first meeting in Poland last Tuesday, just five days before today's tightly contested election. 'We need you to elect the right leader,' Kristi Noem, the US Homeland Security secretary and a prominent Trump ally, said in a speech at the event. 'You will be the leaders that will turn Europe back to conservative values.' Speaking about the two contenders in the run-off – who are Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the main centrist ruling party Civic Platform (PO) and national conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party – Noem left no one in any doubt as to who Trump would like to see win. Urging Poland's voters in her speech at the CPAC to elect Nawrocki as someone who would lead Poland in a style similar to Trump, Noem went on to describe his pro-EU rival Trzaskowski as 'an absolute train wreck of a leader'. So just how did today's contest come about and what will be the significance of its outcome for Poland, Europe and the wider geopolitical landscape? The first thing to recognise is that after the first round in the election, Trzaskowski secured a narrow 31.4% to 29.5% lead and polls now suggest they are currently running neck-and-neck. Following today's second-round run-off the winner will succeed incumbent president Andrzej Duda when his second and final term in office expires in August. While the powers of the president are largely symbolic, it's not quite as simple as that. Whoever is in office for example has the power to veto bills passed by parliament, a power that the PiS-aligned Duda has used to stymie the agenda of the current government. To put this another way, Donald Tusk, the liberal Polish prime minister elected at the head of a coalition in late 2023, quite simply has had to 'cohabit' with Duda, and lacks the three-fifths parliamentary majority required to overturn his legislative veto. For precisely that reason Tusk needs Trzaskowski to become president so he can pursue the judicial overhaul and other reforms that are blocked by the outgoing Duda. But other things are also at stake in terms of whoever takes the office of president. For example, as Aleks Szczerbiak, professor of politics at the University of Sussex and contributor to the news portal Notes From Poland, recently pointed out, the president does have other competencies that relate to foreign affairs. The most important of these is that the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces so can influence debates on security policy. Ambassadorial appointments also have to be approved by the president which explains why Poland does not currently have a full-time ambassador to Washington because Duda refuses to accept the Tusk government's nominee. As today's contest reaches its height, a total of 13 candidates are vying for the presidency but it is the battle between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki on which all eyes are focused. Trzaskowski, 53, is an Oxford-educated son of a jazz musician who champions a liberal agenda that stresses the importance of women's rights and strong ties with the European Union and Nato. One of his campaign promises includes strengthening Poland's position in the EU. Another one of his pledges is to relax abortion laws, however, he has been quiet on this issue during the run-up to the election. He has also been supportive of the LGBTQ community and has attended pride parades. This could alienate some more conservative voters who live outside urban centres. Nawrocki, 42, a historian, has positioned himself as a newcomer with no political baggage. He wants Poland to follow a path inspired by Trump and regards Washington as Warsaw's key ally, not Brussels. Nawrocki opposes abortion and aims to keep coal mines operating until Poland develops its own nuclear energy. He opposes EU migration policies. Nawrocki, by and large, has dominated public debate – be it over questions about his controversial acquisition of a flat from a pensioner or an admission that he took part in orchestrated brawls. 'All my sports activities were based on the strength of my heart, the strength of my muscles, my fists,' Nawrocki, an amateur boxer, told a debate when confronted over reports he had been involved in mass organised fights between football hooligans. 'It was a fair competition, regardless of the form,' he insisted. For both contenders though one of the key issues dominating the election is the Russia-Ukraine war. When the war first broke out in February 2022, Poland threw its full support behind Ukraine, welcoming more than one million Ukrainian refugees who crossed the border without documents. Earlier this month, Tusk, alongside Britain, France and Germany's leaders, visited Kyiv while giving Russian president Vladimir Putin an ultimatum to enact an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Tusk was determined to help stress that Europe is ready to stand by Ukraine even as America's commitment has weakened. It was a measure of Poland's importance and standing among the allies that Tusk was in attendance. By contrast though – as The Economist magazine recently highlighted – Poland's stance is in sharp distinction to the rest of the 'Visegrad Four'. 'Hungary under Viktor Orbán and Slovakia under Robert Fico have both taken the side of Russia rather than Ukraine, and the Czech Republic is expected to tilt in that direction after elections in October,' the magazine noted. In terms of today's vote though, the fact that relations between Poland and Ukraine have grown tense despite Tusk's support are sure to have an impact on the ballot. Earlier this year, Polish farmers led protests, arguing the market had been flooded with cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. There are emerging reports too of Ukrainian refugees facing discrimination in Poland, as well as resentment about welfare provided to them. There have also been growing fears of a spillover of Russian aggression to Poland due to its proximity to Ukraine. On May 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw said an investigation had revealed that Moscow's intelligence agencies had orchestrated a massive fire at a shopping centre in Warsaw back in May 2024. Reports of foreign election interference have also recently spooked voters. As The Economist summed it up, there are two 'visions' dominating the election. 'One vision, from the candidate of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, is a brand of right-wing nationalism that feeds off conflict with Poland's neighbours and the European Union. The other, from the centre, is that, in a dangerous world, Poland needs Europe to magnify its strengths, just as Europe needs Poland as a source of security and economic dynamism.' Given these competing visions, it's hardly surprising then that many see Poland's future relationship with the EU hinging on today's outcome. 'One election, two futures,' is how one political commentator referred to it. While EU membership has massively boosted Poland's development, the rise of populism has reshaped public debate in the country and the political landscape. 'Sunday's outcome means either a clean break with Poland's past as one of the bad boys of the EU, or a return to a more turbulent relationship with Brussels,' noted Politico magazine a few days ago. Watching closely too are Europe's right-wing populists who are keen to avoid a repeat of their recent defeat in Romania. 'Sunday's vote is crucial for the future of Europe,' George Simion, the Romanian ultranationalist who narrowly lost his country's presidential race earlier this month despite a surge in support for the far right, told the Financial Times (FT). Simion went on to say that a loss in Poland could further diminish the influence of the populist right across central and eastern Europe and lead to defeat for prime minister Viktor Orbán in next year's parliamentary elections in Hungary. 'If MAGA really wants to go international, they need now a victory in Poland,' Simion was cited by the FT as warning about today's election outcome. Under Tusk, there's no doubt that Poland is back as one of the leading countries in the EU, setting the bloc's direction alongside Germany and France. But his core promise of undoing the legal changes pushed through by PiS in the eight years they ruled Poland remains hamstrung, making today's vote a potential lynchpin moment. As Szczerbiak says: 'A victory for Trzaskowski will provide the Tusk government with renewed momentum and a clear two-and-a-half-year run before the next parliamentary election, during which it can rebuild its support base and restore a sense of purpose (as well, of course, as limiting the ability of a future PiS government to pursue its agenda).' On the other hand, a Nawrocki win would prolong the impasse. He would continue blocking Tusk's reforms and his overriding goal would be to prepare the ground for PiS's return to power in the next parliamentary poll. At the time of writing, this campaigning in Poland is now all but over and polls open at 7am Polish time today and close at 9pm. Most expect exit polls will be published shortly afterwards with a full result likely known by Monday. Poland, once a dreary backwater of Cold War communism is now a European powerhouse and prosperous member of the EU. It would be hard then to overstate just how important today's election is on so many levels. From the future of the EU to the survival of right-wing populist politics on the continent, to the war in Ukraine and role of Nato, so much hinges on this pivotal and potentially dangerous moment. The stakes then could not be higher and those Poles heading today to vote are no doubt acutely aware of it.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rare predator set to make history after international journey: 'I had a few tears in my eyes'
A British-born lynx is on the precipice of making history hundreds of miles away from its original home at the Newquay Zoo. The BBC reported on the unusual saga of the female lynx, whom conservationists hope can survive and thrive in Germany's Black Forest. Last year, there was a shortage of female lynx births in Central Europe, according to Dina Gebhardt, the lynx-breeding coordinator for the European Endangered Species Programme. Thus, Gebhardt made the unorthodox request to the Cornwall zoo to see if it would send over a one-year-old female. "Of course, we said yes straight away; that's something that we'd love to do," the zoo's curator of plants and animals, John Meek, told the BBC. The lynx was transported via truck to its new temporary home, a 1,200-square-meter (3,937-square-foot) enclosure. The animal wandered out carefully into its new surroundings, which prompted an emotional response from Meek. "I'm a big boy, but I had a few tears in my eyes," he said. If all goes well, the lynx will be able to regain its fear of humans and show off hunting and survival skills over the next few months. From there, it would be reintroduced to the wild, making it the first United Kingdom zoo-born cat to achieve that feat. It would represent another conservation win for the lynx in Europe that would join a resurgence in the animal in Iberia. Sightings of North American lynxes have amazed onlookers and heartened conservationists. No matter where they are spotted, a key concern for conservationists is that interaction with humans is minimized and they are given proper room to roam. Lynx play an important role as a predator in the Central European ecosystem by controlling the deer population and preserving forests, according to lynx reintroduction chief Eva Klebelsberg. "Our ecosystems in Europe are missing large predators," Klebelsberg explained to the BBC. Do you think we still have a lot to learn from ancient cultures? Definitely Only on certain topics I'm not sure No — not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. This female lynx could help play a small but important role in fulfilling a need. The team in charge of the animal has little concern about its ability to hunt. The real challenge figures to be the lynx's familiarity with keepers who feed it, and zoo visitors who ogle it. No matter how it goes, Meek will be watching from the UK. "Nowadays, zoos are not here to keep animals in cages," he said. "They're there for conservation." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Poland's presidential election: Trump administration openly backs nationalist candidate
"I just had the opportunity to meet with Karol and listen: He needs to be the next president of Poland. Do you understand me?" It was 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 27, and the conference hall near Rzeszów, in the Southeast of the country, where a Polish edition of the famous American Republican CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) forum was being held, erupted with excitement at these words from Kristi Noem. Visiting this Central European country for the first time, the US Secretary of Homeland Security declared, with the agreement of the American president, her support for Karol Nawrocki, the nationalist candidate in the second round of the presidential election scheduled for Sunday, June 1, which is set to be very close. In front of a room packed with Polish supporters of the candidate, this prominent Trump administration figure, known for her staunchly anti-immigration stance, said the candidate from the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party was "the right leader" to " turn Europe back to conservative values": "If you [elect] a leader that will work with President Donald J. Trump, the Polish people will have an ally strong that will ensure that you will be able to fight off enemies that do not share your values. You will have strong borders and protect your communities and keep them safe, and ensure that your citizens are respected every single day. You will continue to have a US presence here, a military presence. And you will have equipment that is American-made, that is high quality." She implied that Washington could link the continued presence of US troops in Poland to the election outcome.
Budapest Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
While Tisza claimed to speak for Hungary, Voks 2025 listens
Tisza's effort was packaged as a grassroots initiative and framed as a bold move to include the public in decision-making. And yet, its execution raises far more questions than it answers. There was no official oversight. No transparency about who voted, how many participated, or how the data was verified—if it was at all. Participants had to submit personal information to a party with known foreign ties. Most notably, the question of Ukraine was quietly slipped into the end of a longer survey, with no context or explanation of the associated risks. In truth, it was a commissioned exercise—something made all the more obvious by how swiftly President Zelensky seized on the result to proclaim: 'See? The Hungarians support Ukraine's EU membership.' A remarkably transparent piece of political theater. If the goal was genuine consultation, why avoid the full picture? Why omit the clear and pressing concerns? Ukraine's accession is not some symbolic gesture. It carries consequences: billions redirected from Central European development, the dismantling of EU agricultural subsidies as Ukraine's massive farmland enters the system, public health threats, and increased security risks from organized crime and weapons trafficking. Not to mention the political instability of fast-tracking a country still at war. These are not fringe concerns. They are well-documented, widely discussed, and of direct relevance to Hungarian citizens. And yet, Tisza's 'referendum' passed over them in silence. Why? Perhaps because the answer had already been decided. The party's leadership has repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine's accession, and its MEPs have publicly embraced Brussels' agenda. What the vote offered was not a national conversation, but a tool to generate headlines. A figure. A claim that Hungarians 'support' something they were never fully informed about. Meanwhile, Voks 2025 gives the Hungarian people the opportunity to decide for themselves, something others would prefer to avoid. Every citizen receives a direct question, unfiltered and unambiguous, and is invited to respond through a process that is legal, verifiable, and backed by precedent. No need to give up personal data. No murky numbers. Just a clear opportunity to be counted. Over 1 million have already voted. That figure alone reveals where public engagement truly lies. What's also clear is that some would prefer this question not to be asked at all. The same voices that celebrated the Tisza vote now cast doubt on Voks 2025, as if a national consultation were somehow dangerous. But if there is nothing to hide, why fear an honest answer? The reality is simple. One vote asked people to sign off on a conclusion already drawn. The other trusts them to draw their own. The stakes are high. Hungary's future is on the table. And Voks 2025 ensures it stays in Hungarian hands.
