Some MPs from the opposition Law and Justice party say that they will vote with the government and ratify the Lisbon Treaty.

MPs Adam Hofman, Dawid Jackiewicz, Mariusz Kaminski and Adam Rogacki of the Law and Justice (PiS) party have announced that they hope for a compromise between the opposition and government on Lisbon Treaty ratification.

The group of young MPs said that they would like to vote both according to the party discipline and their conscience, in favour of the Treaty’s ratification.

Yesterday, Wprost weekly reported that there are a few MPs within Law and Justice who intend to vote for the Treaty’s ratifying bill in spite of having to break with party discipline.

In response to this report the MPs issued a statement saying that within in the party there is place for politicians of various views on the EU, including those pro-European and Euro-sceptic. But, as they put it, PiS has always managed to work out a united stance, including, in the case, on ratification of the Treaty.

Law and Justice opposes ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in its present shape and wants to include in the ratifying bill a preamble ‘securing Polish interests’. The governing Civic Platform (PO) party rejects amenments out forward by the opposition and is for a speedy ratification through parliament.

In order to ratify the Treaty the governing coalition needs 307 votes in the lower house of parliament. If they combine their forces with the pro-European Left Democrats and non-affiliated MPs they have 301 votes. At the same time, according to Wprost weekly, there are more and more Law and Justice MPs who intend to vote in favour of the ratification, even at the cost of breaking the party discipline. (jm)

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