The new centre-right political initiative announced by the Mayor of Wroclaw at the weekend will not constitute serious competition to the ruling Civic Platform, claims MP Grzegorz Dolniak.
According to deputy head of the ruling Civic Platform’s parliamentary caucus, Grzegorz Dolniak, if the new political initiative “Poland XXI Civic Movement”, brought to life by Mayor of Wroclaw Rafal Dutkiewicz, attracts any new voters, the loss will be insignificant to the ruling Civic Platform. The new party, he says, will appeal to the same supporters of Poland’s two largest parties, the centre-right Civic Platform and opposition Law and Justice, and offers nothing new in terms of policy.
“There are no reasons for concern”, said Dolniak.
The establishment of “Poland XXI Civic Movement” was announced in Warsaw on Saturday. Besides the Mayor of Wroclaw, one of the founding members is a previous Law and Justice MP and former culture minister Kazimierz M. Ujazdowski.
The Secretary General of the new initiative, Lucjan Karasiewicz, said that about 1,000 individuals are already engaged in the party and “online applications are welcome”.
The central idea behind “Poland XXI Civic Movement” is to strengthen the power of the President. They argue that the head of state should be "the actual leader of the country” with the power to personally appoint prime ministers and oversee the government’s work.
Since the change to Poland’s constitution in 1997, the president of the country has limited powers, mainly restricted to being able to veto legislation made in parliament.
The leader of the new initiative, Rafal Dutkiewicz, has not excluded his candidacy in the presidential election in 2010. Many observers say that Poland XXI is merely a vehicle to promote Dutkiewicz, a successful local politician who now wants a national profile. (mj) (PAP)