内容摘要：Police, media and courts converge to turn a Muslim scholar into a threat – on the flimsiest of words and the strongest of biases.

Police, media and courts converge to turn a Muslim scholar into a threat – on the flimsiest of words and the strongest of biases.

“For me, voting for a conservative or right-wing candidate is a declaration of values, such as the Catholic faith. Voting for the other candidate means voting against the Church and for abortion, which I’m totally against.”Parliamentary deadlock

Having a like-minded president would be crucial for the governing Civic Platform to reverse controversial judicial reforms introduced by the former PiS government, especially regarding the independence of the judiciary.As a result of the changes, which were deemed to contradict European law, in 2021, the European Union imposed penalties on Poland. While Civic Platform came to power in 2023 with the promise of reversing the controversial laws, it has been unable to do so as President Duda holds a right to veto and would block any attempts at changing the law.“Nawrocki’s victory would mean a total war with the government,” said Rydlinski. “He would be a much more conservative president than Andrzej Duda, and he would probably refer many bills to the Constitutional Tribunal, which is still under the control of judges elected by the Law and Justice government.”

According to experts, a victory for Nawrocki would also put Poland on a conflict course with Europe.“Karol Nawrocki would very strongly opt for bilateral relations between Warsaw and Washington, breaking up the EU’s unity,” Rydlinski said. “He would be a mini-Trump in Central Europe, which would mean a major conflict with Germany, cooling relations with France, and certainly a conflict with Brussels.”

Nawrocki’s conservatism and fascination with Trump have sparked concern among some Polish voters. Those who voted for

or centrist candidates in the first round are likely to unite now, not in their support for Trzaskowski, but against what they see as Nawrocki’s Trump-like vision for Poland.“The houses became ruins because their owners left them,” explained Sidiya, who is a member of a national foundation dedicated to preserving the country’s ancient towns.

For generations, Oualata’s population has steadily dwindled as residents depart in search of work, leaving the historical buildings neglected. The traditional structures, coated in reddish mud-brick known as banco, were crafted to withstand the desert climate, but require maintenance after each rainy season.Much of the Old Town now stands abandoned, with only about one-third of its buildings inhabited.

“Our biggest problem is desertification. Oualata is covered in sand everywhere,” Sidiya said.According to Mauritania’s Ministry of Environment, approximately 80 percent of the country is affected by desertification – an advanced stage of land degradation caused by “climate change (and) inappropriate operating practices”.