The Polish Parliament has voted to dissolve and the country will hold a general election within 45 days, as stated by the constitution. The expected date of the ballot is October 21. After a long day at the Lower House of Parliament lawmakers voted 377 for the motion, 54 against and 20 abstained. (
pictured: PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Civic Platform’s Donald Tusk)
The Law and Justice party (PiS) – which has been ruling in a minority in parliament since it broke up the governing coalition on August 13 - voted for dissolution, as did the largest opposition party, Civic Platform (PO).
Two thirds of members of parliament had to vote for the motion, and PiS and PO, the two largest parties, were joined by post communist groups.
Members from the former ruling coalition, League of Polish Families and Self defense, either voted against or abstained.
“Record growth in the economy, record low inflation, interest rates and falling unemployment. This government has been a great success,” Jacek Kurski, a Law and Justice lawmaker, told parliament in the heated debate before the vote.
In foreign policy, Kurksi claimed as a success the compromise Law and Justice achieved in Brussels prolonging the current Nice Treaty, and so retaining Poland a larger share of voting rights in the European Commission.
Government ‘surrenders’
“We see today the surrender of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Law and Justice,” said leader of opposition Civic Platform, Donald Tusk, on why the governing party had voted to dissolve parliament.
“Even after winning the last election and being the largest party in parliament, just two years into governing and they have had to hold up the white flag,” he said.
He said the only way to resolve the crisis in the government was to have an election.
Opinion polls differ
Two opinion polls released today show different parties in the lead.
A poll taken by the CBOS agency, from a sample of 844 Poles in the first four days of September, shows Kaczynski’s Law and Justice in a two point lead with 30 percent, and Civic Platform on 28 percent support.
This is the second survey in seven days to show a lead for Law and Justice, which has been behind in the polls since January.
In third place was The Left and Democrats alliance with 12 percent and the Polish Peasants Party with 6 percent.
If former junior coalition partners, the League of Polish Families and Self defense, stood individually then they would get just 2 percent each of the vote – together, in the LiS alliance they would get 6 percent, one percent above the threshold to obtain seats in parliament.
But a poll taken by the OBOP agency, however, shows Civic Platform in the lead on 35 percent, Law and Justice on 27 percent and Left Democrats on 11 percent.
The Polish Peasants Party and Self defense were both on 5 percent. (
photo: Jakub Szymczuk)