Elections in Times of a Pandemic – Dilemmas and Challenges

Magdalena Musiał-Karg is a Full Professor of political science. She works at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. She also the President of the Polish Political Science Association. Her research interests focus on political systems, direct democracy, alternative voting methods and the impact of modern technologies on the electoral process (e-voting). Izabela Kapsa is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Administration at the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Her research focusses on political and electoral systems, civic participation, public opinion, and voting behavior. She is an author of many publications on those topics.

List of Figures and Tables

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Notes on Editors and Contributors



Elections in Times of a Pandemic: An Introduction

 Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Izabela Kapsa



PART 1: Elections in Extraordinary Situations Dilemmas and Challenges



1 Research into Elections in Extraordinary Situations

 Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Izabela Kapsa

2 Towards Resilient Electoral Systems

 Piotr Walewicz

3 Electoral Laws during the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Tool of Quasi-Militant Democracies: Comparative Perspective

 Roman Bäcker and Joanna Rak

4 Elections in Times of a Pandemic – the Context of Political Disinformation

 Waldemar Wojtasik and Adam Pluszczyk

5 Populism in Times of Pandemic – When Difficult Questions Find Simple Answers. An Analysis of the Phenomenon taking into account Selected Choices

 Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka

6 A Radical Criticism of the Democratic State: The Case of the Anarchist Movement in Pandemic Times

 Paweł Malendowicz

7 Alternative Voting Procedures and Universal Suffrage during a Pandemic

 Marcin Rachwał

8 Pandemic Elections in European Union Countries in the Assessment of OSCE Observing Missions Reports

 Marcin Jastrzębski



PART 2: Elections during a Pandemic European Experiences – Case Studies



9 Italy: First Infected Country in Europe and Constitutional Referendum

 Rafał Dudała

10 The 2020 Parliamentary Election in Lithuania. Between Participation and Quality of Democracy during Pandemic

 Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Martinas Malużinas

11 The First ‘pandemic’ Election in Europe. Remarks Regarding the 2020 Election to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia

 Natasza Lubik–Reczek

12 Elections and Referenda in the Principality of Liechtenstein during the Coronavirus Pandemic

 Krzysztof Koźbiał

13 Local Elections Under Lockdown: The Case of Latvia

 Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik

14 Elections under Special Supervision. Czech Republic 2020–2021

 Elżbieta Lesiewicz

15 Does COVID-19 Really Matter? The Case of Landtags and Bundestag Elections in Germany in 2021

 Kamil Glinka

16 The 2021 Parliamentary Elections in Bulgaria – A Long Farewell to Borisov

 Jacek Wojnicki

17 Non/elections in Pandemic Conditions. Parliamentary Elections in the Russian Federation in 2021

 Natalia Kusa

18 Local Elections during a Pandemic Time – A Case of Estonia

 Maciej Górny, Oliwia Kowalik and Kamila Sierzputowska



PART 3: Electoral Turbulence in Poland From Disastrous Reform and Failed Election to Safeguarding Democracy: Poland as a Unique Case Study



19 Guarantees of Universal Suffrage in the Era of Elections Held during the Pandemic

 Krzysztof Skotnicki and Joanna Kielin-Maziarz

20 The Impact of the Experience from Elections during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Desirable Direction of Changes in Polish Electoral Law

 Agata Pyrzyńska

21 The Course of the Election Process in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

 Ryszard Balicki

22 Postal Voting of Poles abroad – The Case of the 2020 Presidential Election

 Izabela Kapsa and Magdalena Musiał-Karg

23 Was it a “Youthquake”? The Increase in Electoral and Political Participation of Polish Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic

 Radosław Marzęcki

24 Political Communication During the 2020 Presidential Election Campaign in Poland: The role of Medical Experts

 Agnieszka Łukasik-Turecka

25 Positions of the Main Political Parties in Poland on the Presidential Election during the COVID-19 Pandemic

 Piotr Chrobak

26 Polish Political Leaders’ Views on Holding the Presidential Election during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Parliamentary Speeches

 Jakub Klepański and Maciej Hartliński



Conclusion: Elections in Extraordinary Situations

 Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Izabela Kapsa



Index