EP rejects Polish election debate

The motion put forward by Law and Justice MEP Zdzislaw Krasnodebski, who won a seat in the EP in the European elections this year, opined how the local elections were not undertaken in accordance with the standards put in place by the European Union and the OSCE and that a number of events hampered the conducting of the ballot, as well as discrepancies between the exit polls and the actual ballot results.

Of the two largest parties, an exit poll on 16 November had given Law and Justice 31.5 percent of the vote, while Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz’s Civic Platform was forecast to garner 27.3 percent.

However, the official results gave Law and Justice 26.85 percent and Civic Platform 26.36 percent, nevertheless giving the most actual seats (179) to Civic Platform, compared with Law and Justice’s 171.

The move comes as party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called the election results, which were delayed by almost a week, as “untrue [and] unreliable”, saying that he will challenge the results in court and stage a protest in December.

However, Civic Platform MEP Jan Olbrycht voiced his arguments against the motion, saying that the case was a domestic affair and that any doubts would be settled in independent courts.

Meanwhile, head of the Law and Justice delegation to the European Parliament, Ryszard Legutko told Polish Radio that all MEPs should be given the chance to acquaint themselves with how the local elections were conducted in Poland.

“There is a feeling in Poland that something is up with these elections,” Legutko said, adding that “no-one will talk me into believing that almost 20 percent of votes to the provincial assemblies being declared invalid is a normal thing”.

“Suddenly, in an EU member state, there is a significant proportion of society which is raising doubts about the elections, and what does the [European] Parliament do: keep quiet?,” added Legutko. (jb)