Polish populists defy expectations

By establishing control over social transfers and immigration after just 12 months in charge, the Warsaw government has secured its position in power, writes Slawomir Sierakowskiy

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s de facto leader, has become, next to Donald Trump, an avatar of the populist threat to the Western democratic model.

As we await Trump’s inauguration as US president on January 20, it is worth pondering the first year of populist rule in Poland. The results have run contrary to expectations.