Confederation alliance co-leader Slawomir Mentzen drinks a beer while speaking during a rally in Olsztyn, Poland, on Aug. 26.
Photographer: Damian Lemański/BloombergThe Far Right Is Advancing in a Vulnerable Europe Again
Former fringe parties now place among the top three most-popular political groups in almost half of the 27-member EU.
To a backdrop of hard rock and fireworks, the hundreds of people gathered in the Polish city of Olsztyn on a hot late August weekend liked what they heard: Hardworking Poles deserve a “house, a garden, a grill, two cars and a vacation” — and the current political leaders can’t deliver.
The message from the Confederation Liberty and Independence party to its supporters may be simple, but for Poland it could get complicated. With double-digit support in the polls, the upstart alliance looks set to sway the outcome of what promises to be one of the tightest elections since the end of communism.