New political group to call for unity on the Left
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
11.05.2015 14:00
Following Magdalena Ogórek’s disastrous result for the Democratic Left Alliance in Sunday’s presidential ballot – the worst on record for the party – a number of academic professors have announced that they will form a new Leftist group.
The Sejm lower parliamentary house. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
The new party, called “Freedom and Equlity”, is the brainchild of Magdalena Środa, Jan Hartman, Kaziemierz Kik and Genowefa Grabowska.
In a special letter handed out in the Sejm lower parliamentary house on Monday, the professors called for unity on the Left and announced the creation of the group ahead of a general election billed for this autumn.
“Poland is standing face to face with the threat of total domination of public and political life by Right-wing circles, including those on the extreme,” the letter reads, adding that “the weakness of the Polish Left is a dangerous trend for the country”.
In order to try and counteract the dissolution of the left in Polish politics, the professors write that there is a need for them “to enter talks with the purpose of uniting progressive forces around a common manifesto and joint participation in the parliamentary elections”.
The new political group is set to be officially launched this upcoming Friday.
Magdalena Ogórek won just 2.4 percent in Sunday’s ballot, according to an Ipsos exit poll. The result is said to be the worst the Democratic Left Alliance has ever experienced in the history of the group. (jb)
Source: PAP