Duda Victory “Could Bring Hungary, Poland Closer”

  • 27 May 2015 9:00 AM
Duda Victory “Could Bring Hungary, Poland Closer”
Relations between Hungary and Poland may improve with the election of Andrzej Duda, of the Polish Law and Justice (PiS) party, as the Polish president, a Hungarian foreign affairs expert told MTI. Duda’s victory came as a surprise, and the Polish general election in the autumn could make for a double victory for the party if it is able to form government, Miklós Mitrovits said.

Duda is a conservative eurosceptic who is against in-vitro fertilisation, laxer abortion laws and same-sex marriage, Mitrovits said, adding that he is expected to keep strong ties between the church and the state and take the stand on symbolic national issues on the international arena.

Duda’s PiS pursues as pro-Atlantic foreign policy, so not much is expected to change there, but it is more pro-United States and pro-NATO than pro-EU, he said.

While the ruling Civic Platform (PO), former president Bronislaw Komorowski’s party, has openly criticised Hungary for its relationship with Russia, and was also critical of Hungary’s domestic and economic direction, PiS has cited Hungary as an economic example to follow, Mitrovits said, adding that this could bring changes for Hungarian-Polish relations after the new president is sworn in.

If PiS wins in the autumn, nurturing of the traditional Hungarian-Polish friendship could come more into focus, he said.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu - Visit Hungary Matters to sign-up for MTI’s twice-daily newsletter.

  • How does this content make you feel?