The German media examine the results of the first circular of presidential elections in the context of relations between Poland and Germany. any media announcement that anti-German tones were heard in the campaign. "The way relations between the 2 countries proceed depends besides on the result of the elections," writes the NDR regional public station portal, which broadcasts to the north and north-east of Germany.
The NDR emphasizes that in the west of Poland, e.g. in neighbouring Mecklenburg-Pomorze The consequence of the first circular of elections was much different from the remainder of the country. "Trzaskowski overtook Nawrocki by 16 percent points and on a national scale by not two", writes the editor.
Anti-German Tones in Campaign
The NDR recalls that the election run so far was marked by anti-German tone. He describes the Facebook video, on which candidate of Law and Justice Karol Nawrocki, “a decisive step and with meaningful gestures” walks along the bank of Oder on the Polish side. In the film, the Germans “created a centre for illegal immigrants, where there is only a bed, bread and water”. In the video he says that "these illegal immigrants will shortly cross the Polish border and endanger the Polish state, Polish women and our children". His message: as a fresh president he can prevent it – we read.
The NDR points out that Nawrocki repeatedly addresses the issue of war reparations, which is recognised in part of his electorate. Similarly, Sławomir Mentzen of the Confederacy uses “German as a Scare” and in 1 of the interviews he proposed that “Polish police arrest German police” who turn people from the border seeking asylum in Germany.
Co-responsible Germany
The editorial quotes Hans-Joachim Hacker from Schwerin, who was an MP for the Bundestag for 23 years. He is convinced that Germany is besides liable for the current "rather bad" state of Polish-German relations. As Hacker says, “For years, you can say decades, Germany did not see their relations with Poland in a way that would be possible and essential after the 1989 political coup.” Existing prejudices against Germany have a lot to do with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In his opinion, the government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern cannot reverse the course of events on its own, but should be more active in government consultations between Berlin and Warsaw – we read.
Border checks at the run centre
The NDR stresses that the unilateral border controls introduced by Germany are besides an crucial subject of the electoral run and are criticised by all parties. The portal quotes Krzysztof Ruchniewicz, a typical of the Polish government for Polish-German social and border cooperation, who says that "as Europeans, we should besides think in wider categories". As far as border controls are concerned, he considers that only national policies are unacceptable in this area.
The results of the first circular of presidential elections in the border region are besides described by the paper Maerkische Oderzeitung (MOZ) in east Brandenburg. As Nancy Waldmann writes, 21 percent of Poles voted for utmost right-wing candidates. "These voices are decisive for the second circular of elections and affect Poland's approach to the fresh border government of Brandenburg", we read.
The author recalls that in the west of Poland candidate of the Civic Coalition Rafał Trzaskowski won significantly, as among Poles surviving in Germany. “This sounds good from a local point of view, due to the fact that liberals are a pro-European force who is curious in good Polish-German cooperation,” we read. However, the writer points out that Law and Justice better mobilizes in its bastions in the east of the country, where attendance is typically greater.
Sharper tone
Waldmann predicts that before the second round, especially Karol Nawrocki will give even more harsh speech towards immigrants, the EU and Ukrainians. He wonders whether Trzaskowski will besides follow this path, since before the first circular he “tryed to throw his left-wing liberal image away, speaking about tight boundaries, safety and opposing the reception of refugees “from the East and the West” – we read. The author emphasizes that specified a strategy did not, however, give Trzaskowski an increase in votes outside the hard electorate.
Wondering what this means for the Polish-German region, the author writes that, in combination with the fear- inspiring subject of migration, which is caused by Germany from the Polish perspective, it means that there will proceed to be a real test of forces between the border services of both countries, focused on who, how many migrants are sending to whom. According to the writer “MOZ”, this issue will not vanish after the election.
Turbulent Time for Poland
The regional paper “Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger” predicts that Poland will not find peace until a decisive circular of presidential elections. To win votes, "both candidates will scope for nationalist and anti-immigrant tones," we read.
According to the paper in Poland, Germany's fresh migration policy and related border controls and the return of immigrants at borders will be the focus. "A fresh beginning in Polish-German relations, which the Chancellor Friedrich Merz is counting on, will be possible only after the election – if Trzaskowski brings his advantage to the target" - concludes the newspaper.
