It took the view that the most neutral subject of the so - called tiny talcum — a fewer sentences mentioned with the neighbour in the elevator — was the weather. In most cases, that's true. But on Sunday, May 18, the weather was 1 of the most electrifying political themes. Not metaphorically at all.
Black clouds hung over Poland. Rain and straw until afternoon hours effectively kept voters in their homes. Meanwhile, the concern grew in Rafał Trzaskowski's staff. Data from the State Electoral Commission showed that attendance in the west of the country had fallen significantly. In the east — on the contrary, the numbers were better than in erstwhile elections.
— Take it easy, late large cities have besides moved in the afternoon and evening. There will inactive be queues at the polling stations — I heard from 1 of the staffmen on the telephone around 3:00. But in his voice there was uncertainty.
The weather besides affected the electoral evening itself. Initially, the event was to be held on the marketplace in Sandomierz. The presentation was clear: there is no division between Poland A and Poland B, into “Warsaw” and the remainder of the country. Trzaskowski, president of the capital, was to talk with the company of a ellipse of agrarian housekeepers and a local volunteer fire brigade — 2 symbols of a good provincial organization. The pictures from the drones were expected to capture the white-red crowd in the Sandomierz market. European flags? None. And although I met an electorate handing out EU flags, no of them were to appear in the camera frame.
Eventually, the rain caused the event to be moved to the sports hall of the local MOSiR. An object of about 400 people has no longer made that impression. The decision to change the location was made early, fearing that the storm would completely torpedo the event in the open air.
At about 6:00 p.m., a rainbow appeared on the horizon. But Trzaskovsky's staff did not believe in signs. They received data from the polling area and were not optimistic. The belief that large cities would decision to the polls in the last hours of the vote slow began to shrink.
In the crowd heading to the hall, respective clear groups were distinguished. The most many were activists who came especially for election night with bus substitutions. “We do not believe in any pre-election polls and unverified Twitter information. Don't let the right-wing trolls fool you. We are waiting for 9:00 p.m. – I was assured by Mr. Eugenius, who arrived from Lublin. His motivations were simple: PiS cannot return to power, and only president Trzaskowski will be the guarantor of Kaczyński and Ziebra settlements.
I did not have the heart to suppress his enthusiasm, although the data that flowed to us — and it was almost 8:00 p.m. — did not leave any illusions. Even if Trzaskowski wins, he won by a hair, which was not optimistic with the good results of Mentzen and Braun. A wife joined Mr. Eugenius. She made me hug the full editorial board, which I'll do at the earliest opportunity.
The second group were residents of Sandomierz. They were distinguished by the deficiency of any organization gadgets — neither pin nor flag. I approached a fewer advanced school students in sports sweatshirts.
“Do you support Trzaskovsky?” I asked.
— Rather, it was Mentzen, but specified a organization was not there yet,” I heard in response.
Their words confirmed the assumptions of the staff. For Sandomierz, visiting the main contender at specified a point in the run was an honour. And something that could tip the scales — if not the voices, at least the remarks.
In the crowd, I have besides matured respective prominent politicians. According to the erstwhile scenario, after announcing the results and short speech Rafał Trzaskowski was to vanish from the phase — without contact with journalists, no questions asked, no scenes. That's the function others took.
Among those present were Senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, MP Paweł Kowal and Minister Barbara Nowacka. They were expected to answer the questions and signal the emotions of the staff.
— I asked Kwiatkowski, who was just looking at the data phone.
— If Braun is confirmed to be the fourth, it will indeed be a fresh situation, he admitted.
“New besides for Rafał Trzaskowski. due to the fact that how do you stay yourself, keep your face and at the same time fight for the voices of specified a distant electorate?
— Mr. editor, you're asking more and more hard questions. delight call me after the weekend — cut off with a smile.
I asked Barbara Nowacka, who was erstwhile active in this part of the political scene, about how the candidate was to launder while trying to tempt as different voters as Sławomir Mentzen and Adrian Zandberg.
— 2 slogans are important: deregulation and housing. These are completely different areas of life that do not exclude themselves, she said.
We joked for a while that the left in Poland is multiplying by doughnuts. “The score of 9 percent for both left-wing candidates is undoubtedly a success. Although, let's add, they did not even get close to the 2010 Napieralski consequence together. If there was 1 candidate, there would be no chance of specified a result," Nowack added with a smile.
Meanwhile, the queue to the hall moved smoothly. Well-built safety guards searched the contestants, but they didn't bother anyone. Well, almost anyone. The exception was tv reporters Republic and tv in Poland.
— This is simply a scandal,” 1 of the Republic employees told me. “We have our men in all the camps, but they just don’t let us in here. It's limiting freedom of speech. Promise you'll compose about it.
I promised I'd write, but only if I actually saw something. And I saw: the safety defender actually blocked the way of the camera crew without explaining why. Though they were alternatively obvious, let us not deceive ourselves.
— You've worked a small hard for this aversion, I said. — Years on TVP, now Republic — this is not a school of objectivity. You didn't think to hide a large camera and enter incognito? That's what I would do.
— I'm sorry, what? Should I hide?! I want to be treated like everybody else!
— No, you get the material, I said. But I besides realized that from the point of view of his editorial board, it pays more to shout at the gate than to enter. After all, nothing looks better on the air than being "disaccepted by the system".
It was almost 9:00. Conferenceers were warming the crowd. Rafał Trzaskowski went on phase and I gotta give 1 thing back: although the appetites of the gathered people were greater, although the emotions fueled the hopes of a spectacular consequence — at the minute it didn't substance anymore. This guy just acted electrifyingly on the crowd. People acted like the biggest stone star on stage. The woman standing next to me, tears in my eyes.
— ALL OF POLAND! — A thundering hall.
It didn't make sense in specified a hard work to analyse the exact support posts. 1 thing mattered: Rafal is first. There's inactive time for cold analysis.
Next to me was a young girl wearing a purple hat. A green armband revealed that she was 1 of the organizers of the event. The slight increase was misleading — her tubular voice virtually stunned me.
- We're dead!
There is an opinion that twenty-year-olds do not vote for Trzaskowski. They like extremist options — either on the right or on the left. So I asked her straight why she chose him. Why not Magdalene Biejat, for example?
— due to the fact that I'm curious in perpetration. Real influence on the world. Trzaskowski has a chance. And Biejat, how beautiful her postulates would not be — no — answered and returned to chanting.
Persecution — that word came back in many of my conversations that evening. According to the interviewers, it is she who is to be the hallmark of the Civic Coalition today. Not large visions, not extremist reforms, but the ability to "manage". For some, it is evidence of maturity, for others, a sign of resignation from ambition. But technocracy, efficiency, readiness, as its followers say, is simply a view. And it may even stand out, at least against those who have been circling between discussion panels and academic salons for years, avoiding work like fire.
Trzaskowski spoke briefly. After 15 minutes, the crowd began to disperse from the hall. The activists collected white-red flags and banners with endorsement slogans.
— Good morning, Jan Rojewski, weekly ANGORA. I'm writing a study on tonight's election. Gentlemen, how would you like to convince Mentzen voters to support Trzaskovsky alternatively than Nawrocki?
— How do I know who you are? I don't know you. possibly you're from the Republic, I heard. - Do you have any ID?
— Do I have to? If I were an average citizen who, seeing your party's logo, wants to ask a question, would you ask me for my ID too?
It got nervous. The Czupryny of Trzaskovsky disappeared in the hall corridor. The candidate returned on the run way and immediately went to close Tarnobrzeg. Meanwhile, activists who gave out smiles and hearts even moments earlier began to look more closely at the tv with results. It was more and more evident that the task for June 1 may and may not be impossible — but it will most likely be the most hard of all.
