Freedom House: Poland's democracy will continue to deteriorate

Poland’s Democracy Score declined from 2.21 to 2.32 in a new report – Nations in Transit 2016, which tracks the progress and regression of democracy in Central Europe, the Balkans, and Eurasia, published by Freedom House. The report includes three categories: National Democratic Governance, Independent Media, and Judicial Framework and Independence. In the fist category, Poland's rating declined from 2.50 to 2.75 due to the rapid passage of major reforms at the end of the year without adequate consultations with civil society or in parliament. With regard to the Independent Media, the rating declined from 2.50 to 2.75 due to the swift, politically motivated reshuffle of public media following the change of government. The reform leaves the government in a position to further expand its control over public and private outlets in 2016. In the Judicial Framework and Independence category, rating declined from 2.50 to 2.75 due to the far-reaching reform of the Constitutional Tribunal that is expected to curb its functioning as an effective oversight body; abuses of law associated with the election of the Tribunal’s judges; and the unfolding reform threatening the independence of the public prosecutor’s office. Freedom House expects Poland's state of democracy to continue to deteriorate "given the ruling party’s track record of rule-bending and disregard for public consultations."