Influx of Migrants Triggers Scandal & more – 12th Sep 2023

Witam from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 12th of September twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s get the balls rolling with a scandal.

On Wednesday, the 6th, Piotr Wawrzyk, the deputy minister of foreign affairs, resigned from his post as an illegal immigration scandal broke out.

International recruitment companies are operating in different countries to find eligible workers for nations like Poland. They work as intermediaries between the country and possible eligible immigrants. But these companies should only recruit eligible workers. However, they issued visas to non-eligible workers, who might have bribed the companies, allowing an influx of migrants from third-world countries into Europe and Poland

Amid the scandal, an investigation will be conducted.

When the scandal broke, the opposition didn’t waste time to harshly criticize the government. The opposition stated that the ruling party says it is against illegal immigration, but, at the same time, it is the one who facilitates it. Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, said that when his party wins the election, they will check if the ruling party made money from the visa issuance.

Speaking of the elections, they are just around the corner.

On Thursday, the 7th, the ruling party announced a couple of new election promises. If elected, the government will launch a program called Discover Poland. It would consist of two free school trips to visit important places in the country, benefiting five million students. Also, the ruling party promised free lunch in schools for every student—previously it was only for those who couldn’t afford the meal. They also announced that, if they won, old people and students wouldn’t have to pay for transportation The party made several other promises, including a program to reduce vegetable and meat product prices and a project to increase the quality of food in hospitals.

However, the opposition stated that the ruling party would deceive Poles again as they did not keep the promises they made when they first came to power. The main opposition said that they wouldn’t keep their promises again and that they were all lies.

On Saturday, the 9th, the main opposition party also announced its pre-election promises. They said that they would fulfill them within the first 100 days of their government.Tusk said that they would do everything for Polish women to regain their ‘dignity’. He will repeal the abortion law, offer free childbirth, and provide free prenatal tests. This caused backlash as his statement implied that women didn’t have dignity and the right to choose. Tusk’s words were put into question as this might be seen as a way of controlling women the way the government does.

In other promises, for working people, he said that they will not pay income tax if they earn less than one thousand four hundred dollars per month. For young people, Donald Tusk's government will help them with 140 dollars when they rent a house.

More on the competition between the ruling party and the opposition.

In previous episodes we talked about the Russian Influence Commission. Well, on Thursday, the 7th, the opposition created the commission in the Senate, where it has the majority. However, the ruling party also has a Russian Influence commission in the parliament. The commissions should investigate whether politicians had been under Russian influence—they might have to prove that the suspect, for example, had meetings with members of the Russian intelligence, or talked to Putin, or something of the sort. However, the commissions cannot punish any politician, they can only accuse them of being under Russian influence. The law does not seem to monitor Russian influence in the country in an objective way, as it turned out to be a competition between the ruling party and the opposition.

Against these established parties, a non-party grouping appeared in the political sphere.

A new group wants to enter political life in Poland, and they do not want to identify themselves with any of the political parties. The Non-Partisan Local Government Grouping, a group of politicians and people who do not represent any party will also compete in elections. The group will try to enter the parliament by representing forty-one districts.

When it comes to our notes on foreign affairs…

On Friday, the 8th, Mark Brzezinski, the US ambassador to Poland, stated that "every inch of Polish territory is secure and protected". In an interview, the ambassador assured close relations with Poland and said that the US is currently protecting Poland with more than 10,000 soldiers and modern equipment. Also, the US Congress has approved the sale of ninety-six Apache helicopters and dozens of pieces of equipment, worth more than twelve billion dollars. Polish authorities said now it is time to negotiate the price of the purchase with their American friends.

Speaking of the army…

On Monday, the 12th, soldiers deployed along the Belarusian border complained about the poor conditions they live in. As we know, Poland deployed dozens of soldiers to the Belarusian borders as the tension between the two countries increased drastically. Yet those soldiers shared some photos online that show that the army does not supply them with enough equipment and food. They sleep on the ground and eat food from supermarkets that they can find.

Now, let’s talk about the economy.

On Wednesday, the 6th, the central bank reduced the interest rate from 6.75 to six percent. This cut caused at least a four percent depreciation in the Polish złoty against the US dollar. Poland made the move to avoid a possible recession in the economy this year and in twenty twenty-four. On the other hand, oil prices in the country continue to fall despite the currency’s loss of value. This is also surprising because the oil prices in Europe increased in the last few months. Experts stated that these discounts are taking place at the expense of Orlen, the energy giant of Poland. The ruling party might be behind these discounts as it wants to attract more votes in the upcoming elections.

In cultural events…

If you are interested in movies, maybe it is time to check out the 48th Polish Film Festival that will be held in Gdynia from the 18th to the 23rd of September. Sixteen top Polish movies will compete for the Golden Lion award.

For science lovers, there’s the 27th Science Festival that will be held in Warsaw on the 15th of September. The festival will include lectures, debates, exhibitions, educational games, and much more. Those who will not be able to attend the event physically can also participate in selected online events.

Wanna know more about the festival? Follow the link in the show notes!

In unrelated news…

On Thursday, the 7th, authorities reminded people that their driving licenses will only be valid for twenty years. Previously once you got your driving license there was no need to renew it. Reporters stated that renewal costs are approximately thirty-five dollars in total and do not require any further courses or tests. To renew it, contact the poviat office or district office, or a city hall with poviat rights.

On Friday, the 8th , an interesting alert appeared on the mobile phones of Mazovia city residents. Authorities threw vaccines for wild animals in Mazovia City from planes. Yet they also warned residents that neither they nor their pets should touch the vaccine if they encountered one. The vaccine has the shape of food, so wild animals would eat it. Authorities stated that if a pet has contact with the vaccine, the owner should go to see a vet.

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