Maria Skóra’s (Fellow 2024-25) re:constitution project explored strategies for recovering from autocracy, with evidence from Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. It examined how countries can halt democratic backsliding, restore the rule of law, and accelerate re-democratisation.
In her publication for RevDem, Maria focuses on a particularly striking dilemma in the Polish case of restoring the rule of law after the right-wing populist party left office. Democratic front-sliding describes the tension between legal continuity and the urgent need for institutional repair. Efforts to rebuild institutions often create situations in which actors face a difficult choice between risking legal irregularity or allowing inaction to prevail. Her article analyses how this conflict unfolds in practice, the strategies being considered to address it, and how these debates feed into broader discussions on re-democratisation in Europe.
The publication is open access and can be read here.
