Tusk election to European Council most groundbreaking event of 2014, poll finds

Photo: Donald Tusk (left) takes over the role of EC President from Herman Van Rompuy (EC press materials)

The poll, undertaken by IBRiS for the Rzeczpospolita daily, finds that 50 percent of respondents pointed to former PM Tusk’s election to the top EU post as the most important event of this year.

The second most important event, with 28 percent of respondents, was the financial tape scandal, which kicked off in June when a transcript of a secret recording was published in the weekly Wprost magazine between Poland’s then-interior minister and the head of the central bank.

As many as 25 percent of respondents pointed to Poland’s historic 2-0 victory over Germany in October. Poland’s football team only lost one match in 2014 (home against Scotland in March), and thrashing minnows Gibraltar 7-0 later in the year.

Further on down the list, 22 percent referred to the bungled first round of local and regional elections when the State Electoral Commission computers suffered a glitch, while 20 percent pointed to MPs travel expenses claims.

Poland’s success at Sochi as well as Ewa Kopacz’s ascent to the premiership both garnered the attention of 16 percent of respondents.

Rzeczpospolita writes that the choices made by Poles on the most important events of 2014 were influenced for the most part on political backing, with Tusk’s nomination as head of the European Council put forward by 80 percent of Civic Platform supporters – Tusk’s party – and only 22 percent of Law and Justice sympathisers.

On the other hand, the tape scandal was put forward by 1 in 7 Civic Platform supporters and 50 percent of Law and Justice voters.

Respondents could choose a maximum of three events in the poll, which was conducted on 18-19 December among 1,100 Poles. (jb)