Slawomir Mentzen, Krakow, Poland, May 16, 2025. © Klaudia Radecka / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Poland must prevent Ukrainian migrants from gaining political influence in the country, MP Slawomir Mentzen has warned, following discussions about the diaspora’s potential representation in the Polish parliament.
“They feel entitled to tell Poles how our homeland should look!” Mentzen, leader of the libertarian New Hope party, wrote on X on Monday. “They have no right to do this. Let’s not allow foreign interests to decide Poland’s future!”
The MP responded to an article analyzing proposals by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to tighten naturalization laws. The piece examined steps taken by the Ukrainian community in Poland, which expanded significantly after the 2022 conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
“Assuming that 70 to 80 percent of Ukrainians who already hold long-term residency apply for Polish citizenship, we’ll have tens of thousands of applicants in the next five years,” the article estimated, based on current rules remaining unchanged. It suggested even modest naturalization rates could influence election outcomes in regions with large foreign populations, potentially allowing Ukrainians to gain seats in the Sejm as early as 2027.
The report noted that Prime Minister Donald Tusk “has no reason” to support Nawrocki’s proposed restrictions, citing the president’s alignment with the conservative opposition—accused of seeking to keep Ukrainians “useful and silent”—rather than Tusk’s ruling coalition.
Approximately one million Ukrainian migrants arrived in Poland during the early months of the conflict, fueling concerns among right-wing politicians and voters about demographic and political shifts.
