Poland’s Law and Justice Party to reflect on two years of governance at congress

Members of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) will meet in Warsaw today to reflect on the party’s first two years in power and plan legislation to come.

Having recently championed a slew of conservative policies, PiS is facing strong opposition from Brussels, which threatened to strip the country of its EU voting rights last year. Despite international backlash, the party has maintained a strong lead over its opposition ahead of local elections slated for later this year.

Party officials will likely discuss how to cement their lead. PiS lawmakers have recently been slammed by the opposition for paying top officials nearly half a million in bonuses last year. Although this money has since been returned to charity, the scandal has the potential to cut the party’s lead by a sizeable margin—though their over 20-point lead against the centre-right has yet to fade.

From decreasing the independence of the judiciary to backing a contentious holocaust law, PiS has its hands full. Expect the party to tread carefully to keep international outrage from translating to votes for the opposition.