SLD chief Grzegorz Napieralski.

Ahead of a general election scheduled for the autumn, the Democratic Left Alliance SLD) is proposing a repeal of Poland’s strict abortion law, state funding for IVF treatment and the removal of religion from school curricula.

The party also wants to close down the so-called church fund, subsidising or fully covering the social and health insurance of priests.

Meanwhile, a recent survey by CBOS pollsters, probing public confidence in politicians, indicated that more Poles trust head of the left-wing party, Grzegorz Napieralski, than Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

The results have reportedly boosted the Democratic Left Alliance’s belief that it may become a power to be reckoned with in the upcoming elections, and may drive a hard bargain with its future coalition partner.

“We do not want power at any price. We will enter the government only when we are certain that our demands are respected,” party member Stanisław Wziątek told Polska The Times.

Another issue that will be top of the SLD’s agenda is withdrawing Polish troops from Afghanistan. The leftist party also seeks to adopt its own solutions for combating the financial crisis, reduce bureaucracy, raise the employment rate to equal Scandinavian states.

The Democratic Left Alliance seeks to woo the disenchanted young electorate of the center-right Civic Platform. To reach that end, the party is to focus on fighting unemployment and pursue employment support programmes for young citizens. Another goal is education, predominantly centered on hindering the progressing privatization of schools of higher learning.

In mid-March, the Alliance intends to submit a draft bill on civil partnerships with Parliament, granting legal status to unmarried couples, both hetero and homosexual. In line with the Alliance’s policy, the pact will differ from a nuptial agreement in that the partnership will not be granted the right to adopt children. (ab/pg)