Far-right presidential candidate's call for all Polish universities to charge tuition fees condemned by rivals

Meet the far-right candidate brewing trouble in Poland's presidential race

Mentzen, known for his advocacy to liberalise gun laws and his staunch opposition to abortion in all circumstances, including cases of rape, has made social media his home.

Far-right presidential candidate's call for all Polish universities to charge tuition fees condemned by rivals

Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work! Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. One of the leading candidates in Poland’s presidential race – Sławomir Mentzen of the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party – has sparked debate by calli…

If the Confederation drifts towards the center and a coalition with PiS, it will not be in its interest when a strong "anti-system Confederation" grows on the right. At the moment, the rebel army that wants to attack Sławomir Mentzen has its banner with a fire extinguisher, two generals in the form of Braun and Korwin, and a modest number of mainly inexperienced soldiers. The Confederation disregards them, but there is a fear in the party that s…

– There are those who claim that just as Janusz Korwin-Mikke always launched the 2% protocol at the end of the campaign, Sławomir Mentzen launched the 12% protocol. This is an important moment in the campaign – said Kamil Dziubka from Onet in the political radio play "Stan Wyjątkowy".

— Vulgar shouting shouldn't happen. I don't like hooliganism at election meetings. Such pathological behavior ruins the reception of the event for others. I know people who support Mentzen and they represent a high level, so it's not like he's just being pathological — said 17-year-old Krzysiek, who took part in Sławomir Mentzen's election rally in Opole, in an interview with us. During the meeting, many offensive slogans were used, including ag…

Karol Nawrocki's team did not consider for a long time that the Confederation candidate could be a dangerous rival before the first round of the presidential elections. The recommendation was not to attack him unnecessarily. All this so that as many Confederation voters as possible would support Nawrocki in the second round. But how to behave when Mentzen almost catches up with the PiS candidate before the first round?