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From Our Own Correspondent: Poland's Political Drama

16/12/2023

Poland's Political Drama

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Poland's Political Drama

Poland's election gripped the nation as voters turned away from 8 years of populist rule.

After eight years of a populist government, Polish voters filled cinemas to watch their new pro-EU prime minister present his maiden speech.

Kate Adie presents stories from Poland, CAR, Hong Kong, Armenia and Tunisia

This week the former Polish PM Donald Tusk returned to power marking a clear break from the right-wing, populist government that has been in office for the last eight years. Voters filled cinemas screening the parliamentary proceedings, as the country was gripped by the political drama. Sarah Rainsford was in Warsaw.

In the Central African Republic, the Wagner Group is wielding significant political, economic and cultural influence. Yemisi Adegoke visited the capital Bangui and spoke to the President about his reliance on Russian mercenary group, despite allegations of abuse and extra judicial killings. 

The introduction of the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020 led to an immediate crackdown on anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Several people were arrested under the new law, including the billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai, whose trial is due to start on Monday - and there are many others. Danny Vincent spoke to another activist currently on remand.

In Armenia, Julia Paul speaks to journalists who fled the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in September, along with more than 100,000 others after the takeover by Azerbaijan. They tell her about the lives they left behind.

And the latest round of climate talks in the UAE, looked to end in disappointment as leaders failed to incorporate any reference to the phasing out of fossil fuels in the conference’s initial draft agreement. But in a dramatic turnaround, nations finally announced a ‘transition away’ from coal, oil, and gas.  Justin Rowlatt was behind the scenes of the talks in Dubai.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

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