Barricades around Polish parliament dismantled

A police spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the barricades were set up ahead of a rally held there on Tuesday which could have blocked access to the building.

“Currently, there are fewer [protesters], there is no risk that someone will block this path. A decision was taken to remove the barricades. There are ever fewer people, but we will be there for as long as people gather," she said, adding that around 70 officers are stationed at the site during daytime hours.

Opposition MPs have been staging a sit-in protest inside the lower house demanding a key vote on next year’s budget to be repeated.

MPs from the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party and a handful of opposition MPs voted through the budget bill on Friday when they met in an ancillary room and voted by a raising of hands.

Opposition MPs claim that the vote was illegal and are demanding for it to be repeated, claiming that, among other issues, the minimum number of deputies was not met for the vote to be held.

However, at a press conference on Wednesday, parliamentary Speaker Marek Kuchciński, denied that there was any wrongdoing when he called the vote in the second hall, and claimed that any MP could have voted had they wished to.

Other senior party officials have strongly suggested that there is “no need” for the vote to be held again.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has offered to mediate in the matter, but no official decision has yet been taken.

MPs from the opposition Civic Platform (PO) and Nowoczesna parties have said that they will likely be holding the sit-in through the upcoming Christmas holidays. (rg/pk)