Unfortunately, surveys conducted in Lithuania usually leave much to be desired. Recently, especially in the pre-election period, it could be observed that so-called 'public opinion surveys' often appeared to be camouflaged political orders. And especially when speaking about the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (EAPL) and its leader Valdemar Tomaševski. For example, the results of a survey conducted by 'Baltijos tyrimai' were well-heard in the media. The survey stated that the support for Valdemar Tomaševski in the presidential elections will amount to 0.9 percent, while the candidate managed to gain 8.4 percent in real. Therefore after checking the results of the survey by comparing them to the real electoral results, we can see that the mistake made in the public survey was huge (!!!).
When looking at the results of the survey published recently on the Polish website, one can get an impression that it is just another political order. Initially, the results of the survey indicate that the majority of respondents support EAPL (in other case no one would believe in such a survey). But this majority was just a half. These ratios deviate far from the real results of the secret ballot at various levels - municipal, parliamentary and presidential.
I could provide results of some recent elections as an example. In the presidential elections 2014 Valdemar Tomaševski gained 73.2 percent of votes in the Šalčininkai district, and 53.5 percent in the Vilnius district. It has to be mentioned, that Poles constitute 79 percent of all the inhabitants of the Šalčininkai district and 52 percent of the Vilnius district. The results of secret elections strongly undermine the results of the survey. Even more, that (as it is said in the report of the survey) the survey has been conducted among Poles (!), not all the inhabitants of the above mentioned districts.
However, in my opinion, the main propaganda news, an attempt to impose which was made, was that '35 percent of respondents see the need (of another Polish party)'. And this is what completely discredits the survey. I would like to remind that there was already a plan to divide the Polish electorate by creating Polish People's Party (PPP), which took part in several elections. But it resulted in a complete failure.
I will support my statement with facts - namely with electoral results. Both PPP and EAPL took part in the municipal elections 2002. The EAPL got 56 seats, while PPP - 1. The municipal elections of 2007 were even worse for PPP, i.e. the party got no seats at all, while EAPL - 59. Similarly, the proportions of obtained votes were clear e.g. EAPL was supported by 65.4 percent of voters in the Šalčininkai district and got 20 seats while PPP was supported by only 0.9 percent of voters and got no seats.
Most probably EAPL opponents cannot get over the devastating success of EAPL leaded by V. Tomaševski after the last presidential elections and elections to the European Parliament. The party managed to win in 196 districts in Lithuania and gained more than 80 percent of votes in dozens of electoral districts. Seeing that the results of universal and secret elections indicate clear difference from survey results, we can only regret that so-called 'public opinion surveys' became an instrument of propaganda, a way of forcing people an 'opinion' that is distant from the reality.
Therefore there is a great possibility that the results of the survey were falsified. We are kind of a democratic state in which such conscious and absolute misleading of the public by the mass media is punishable. Thus, bodies of law should start dealing with the veracity of the surveys.
Viktor Jusel,
Manager of L24.lt
