Poland’s Civil Society, Electoral Strategies, and Institutional Levers

What does it actually take to push back against democratic backsliding by elected incumbents? In 2023, Poland’s civil society mobilization and electoral coalitions facilitated a change in power. Since the election, continued disputes over institutional reforms have posed ongoing challenges to democratic renewal. This discussion will bring you inside the strategic decisions by key actors in the process to examine their constraints, their opportunities, and their choices at each stage. Bringing together political scientists, legal scholars, politicians, and civil society leaders, the panel will examine what made such pro-democracy mobilization possible, the gains it has achieved, and the headwinds that democracy continues to face in Poland.