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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jakub Krupa in Toruń and Warsaw

‘The same faces, swapping places’: Polish candidates aim to break two-party hold on power

Sławomir Mentzen stands next to a young supporter wearing a 'Mentzen 2025' cap
Sławomir Mentzen, of the Konfederacja party, campaigns this week in Bielsko-Biala, in southern Poland. Photograph: Jarek Praszkiewicz/EPA

Hidden off a charming market square in central Poland, a bar offers the closest physical experience to walking into the internet.

Stretching incongruously through medieval basements, Pub Mentzen in Toruń feels like it was designed by someone on a full-fat diet of online politics. As you enter, a gallery wall displays mugshots of “customers we don’t serve”, but instead of rowdy patrons, it features Polish political leaders, including at least five prime ministers.

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