Insider Insights from the Polish Elections: How Women and Youth Powered a Progressive Win in Poland (EN)
On 15 October, people in Poland voted for change, marking an end to the illiberal and Eurosceptic reign of Poland’s Law and Justice Party. These national elections saw a record turnout, with unprecedented numbers of women and young people heading to the ballot box. What were the catalysing issues that triggered such mobilisation? And what role did the Green movement play in reshaping Poland’s political landscape? Join us in conversation with politicians, activists, and civil society actors for insider perspectives on Poland’s recent historic elections.
Speakers
Lena Anna Kuklińska– Project Officer, FYEG
Lena Anna Kuklińska is a 25-year-old Project Officer for the Federation of Young European Greens, Project Assistant for Green REV Institute, and since 2022 Co-chair of Ostra Zieleń — Polish Young Greens. She completed her LLB in Global Law at Tilburg University and her LL.M. in European and Transnational Law of Intellectual Property and Information Technology at Georg-August Universitat Goettingen, specialising in unfair competition law, greenwashing and access to information. She is an animal rights and youth participation activist, in her daily work focusing on empowering young people to become leaders in their communities and on fixing the broken food system. She completed an internship in the European Parliament in the office of MEP Dr Sylwia Spurek, where she partook in the works on the Gender-based Violence Directive and promotion of the White Paper on Industrial Farming.
Agata Gontarczyk- Head of Europe and International Affairs Programme
Agata Gontarczyk – Head of Europe and International Politics Programme at Heinrich Böll Stiftung Warsaw. Agata holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, specializing in security and strategic studies. Building on her expertise, she furthered her academic journey with a postgraduate degree in international law and foreign service. Having grown up in Austria and Germany, Agata’s multicultural background adds a unique dimension to her perspective. Since joining the HBS Warsaw she has been coordinating many of the Office’s flagship projects, such as Ukraine in Focus: Special Edition of the World in Focus Conference, the Foundation’s panels and roundtables at the annual Warsaw Security Forum, as well as the Polish-German Roundtable on Eastern Policy. Her main research interests lie within the field of security studies, with a particular focus on green solutions to contemporary security challenges.
Urszula Zielińska- Member of Sejm, Co-Chair Partia Zieloni
Polish MP since 2019, deputy-chair of the parliamentary Environment, Forestry & Natural Resources Committee, member of the Energy & Treasury Committee. Since 2022 co-chair of the Green Party Poland. Studied management and marketing. Before taking on a full-time MP role, worked for over 16 years in international business in Poland, Germany and the UK. In her parliamentary work focused on green energy and climate solutions. Lives and works in Warsaw, Poland.
Alexandra Koleczek-Partia Zieloni
Aleksandra Kołeczek, member of Warsaw Greens and Green Party Council. Responsibe for programme work on womens’ rights. Long term abortion and anti-gender based violence activist. Graduate of Gender Mainstreaming postgraduate studies programme at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Dagmara Adamiak – Activist and President of RÓWNIE Foundation.
Dagmara is a Polish lawyer and a social and political activist, with a focus on women, minorities and youth. In 2020, Dagmara led the protests against the tightening of abortion law in Szczecin, for which she was awarded the Personality of the Year 2020 in the politics, local government and local community category. In 2021, she established the RÓWNIE Foundation, where she currently provides free legal advice to people who experience violence and discrimination. She also organises demonstrations in defence of the democratic state of law and human rights. During the 2023 parliamentary campaign, Dagmara initiated the “Campaign of Truth” to inform about law violations and encourage young people to participate in the elections.