Candidates in the June 20 presidential elections have opted to play safe with their campaign slogans, in the wake of the Smolensk air disaster and the floods which are currently afflicting much of Poland.
The first of the presidential hopefuls to unveil their slogan was Jaroslaw Kaczynski from Law and Justice, with “Poland is the most important.”
“This is not a bad slogan which builds the narrative of this campaign,” considers Dr. Norbert Maliszewski, a social psychologist, adding that “Kaczynski is telling [the electorate] why he decided to stand as a candidate even after the [Smolensk] tragedy on 10 April.”
Wojciech Jablonski, a political scientist, is convinced a good political slogal can sum up a political manifesto in a sentence. “The Law and Justice candidate is shown as a statesman who always puts the country first,” Jablonski comments.
Bronislaw Komorowski is fighting for the presidential vote with “Agreement builds.” Wojciech Jablonski is not too impressed: “it’s a little bland,” he says, believing that the slogan could have been used by any of the candidates.
In the context of the floods that have swept through Poland, however, the political scientist thinks that the slogan could take on a new meaning.
A list of slogans used by the presidential candidates can be found at the bottom of the article. Follow our dedicated election service at thenews.pl/elections.
Andrzej Olechowski, the independent candidate, is running with “Choose your prosperity.” “This would have been a brilliant slogan if more Poles voted with their wallets,” Dr. Maliszewski says, commenting that in the wake of the floods it does not have any positive connotations.
The Freedom and Legitamacy candidate Janusz Korwin-Mikke is using the name of his newly-formed party as a campaign slogan. “A good idea, because people can simultaneously get used to the new name of the party,” Jablonski says.
Former deputy PM, Andrzej Lepper made his slogan’s debut at a farmer’s market in Warsaw. “I’m one of you,” called out the candidate from Self Defence. “Every politician says that,” Jablonski remarks, stating that after Lepper’s term in government many people think that Lepper is in fact “one of them…”
Experts conclude that slogans are not the most important element of this year’s presidential campaign, as one month before the elections three candidates have not yet declared their official slogans: Marek Jurek, Grzegorz Napieralski and Boguslaw Zietek. (jb/pg)
Source: Rzeczpospolita
List of slogans used by presidential candidates:
Marek Jurek – undeclared
Jaroslaw Kaczynski – Polska jest najważniejsza – Poland is the most important / Poland First
Bronislaw Komorowski – Zgoda buduje – Agreement Builds / Unity Inspires
Janusz Korwin-Mikke – Wolność i Praworządność – Freedom and Legitimacy (also the name of his party)
Andrzej Lepper – Jestem jednym z Was – I’m one of you
Kornel Morawiecki – Razem – Together
Grzegorz Napieralski – undeclared
Andrzej Olechowski – Wybierz swój dobrobyt – Choose your well-being / Choose your prosperity
Waldemar Pawlak – Prezydent dla Polski / Bo ważny jest człowiek (undeclared slogans on Pawlak’s internet site) – A President for Poland / Because people are important
Boguslaw Zietek – undeclared
Editor’s note: As the slogans may take on word play or denote different meanings in varying contexts, multiple translations have been given for illustrative purposes. These are not official translations.
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