National

Poles want to elect their president

24.11.2009 10:04

Presidential Palace, Warsaw

The vast majority of Poles do not want to give up the right to choose their president, rejecting Constitutional reforms suggested by Prime Minister Tusk, says a new opinion poll.

Eighty two percent told the Gfk Polonia opinion pollster that the head of state should remain being elected by universal suffrage and not a special assembly, as proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk last Saturday.

Tusk also suggested that the presidential veto should with withdrawn after the government has been frustrated by President Lech Kaczynski’s frequent blocking of government legislation and that the number of MPs and senators should be reduced in the two houses of parliament.

Almost two thirds of those surveyed believe that the president should have the right to veto legislation.

GIK Polonia telephone survey of a sample of 500. (pg)

Check out an audio report on the proposed Constitutional changes by Slawek szefs here.

Comments: 19 Add new comment

Ziggi

24/11/2009 10:59:40

To keep Poland independent against EU buracratic globalist dictatorship we need to have a strong president.

Toby

24/11/2009 13:02:01

Poland can always leave the EU if you don't like it and end up like Belarus. Don't let the door hit your dumb asses on the way out.

Reg

24/11/2009 13:16:57

Careful Toby! If Poland leaves, the duck twins won't visit us anymore! Think what we will be missing!

The EU

24/11/2009 13:18:18

please, please please, pretty please leave, Poland. Seriously.

Skoy

24/11/2009 14:09:11

Small mistake in the title. It says they DO want to give up their right!

Poland

24/11/2009 15:53:16

@The EU,
We would love love, love to leave your organization of hypocrisy and rapacious corporations, aristocrats and neo-atheists, shepherding the mindless flock into Orwell's 1984.

Karl. M.

24/11/2009 18:28:08

Poland,

What is wrong with atheism?

McCarthy

24/11/2009 19:55:55

Atheism = Communism for one, also evidence indicates that per capita charitable giving by atheists and agnostics is significantly less than by theists, according to a study by the Barna Group, those who hold to the worldviews of atheism or agnosticism were more likely, than theists, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality.

Maciej Skiba

24/11/2009 20:20:29

Let's get back to the story because there is a lot of fools commenting on this story. Now granted there is a lot of tension between the PM and the President and Tusk makes a good point that things would go more smoothly if parliament was to choose the President. With that said, even though he's right that is a weak argument. The whole point of having citizens elect the President and having the President have veto power is to create checks and balances in the government. Things would go a lot smoother if we had a dictator also but nobody seriously thinks that is a good idea? Even if you like Tusk (which I do), whose to say the next PM in the future won't have more sinister plans that he would be able to accomplish without the Presidential veto. There is a reason we have checks and balances and its to stop to much concentration of power in one place. In order to do that, the drawback is a little more infighting in politics. Though its not perfect is much better than the alternative Tusk is suggesting.

Karl. M.

25/11/2009 00:30:54

McCarthy, you sound like St. Paul himself.

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