Survey on the Upcoming Elections & more – 29th Aug 2023

Witam from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 29th of August twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s roll the dice with heated domestic debates…

Elections are getting closer. On Monday, the 28th, the results of an IBRiS survey were published. According to the study, Law and Justice, the ruling party, ranks first with thirty-three percent of the votes, while the Civic Platform follows with twenty-seven percent. Behind them is the Confederation Party, with thirteen percent. ‘The Third Way’ alliance, which consists of the Polish People’s Party and the Poland twenty fifty Party, would get ten percent of the votes, followed by the Left Party with nine percent. According to the survey’s results, no party secures the majority to rule the country on its own.

On the same day, young voters shared their opinions about the election. According to the Central Statistical Office, nearly 1.5 million young citizens will vote for the first time this year. Many young people are not sure about which party they should vote for. Some candidates have reached out to young voters through social media. However, some youngsters feel that the way politicians try to attract young voters is sometimes ‘cringe’.

On Wednesday, the 23rd, German media assessed the Polish electoral process. The daily Suddeutsche Zeitung stated that more and more Poles are complaining about how the election process turned out to be a conflict between politicians, and that it wasn’t engaging with the real problems of the Polish people. It said the ruling party presents Germany, Russia, and Belarus as serious enemies to Poland, and that the country needs the ruling party to overcome them. On the other hand, the opposition says the enemy is the ruling party, and that it is dangerous for democratic Poland.

Speaking of political parties…

On Wednesday, the 23rd, reporters stated that the Russian influence law, or ‘Lex Tusk', won’t be of use. Recall that, in May, the parliament— with the ruling party’s majority— adopted a controversial Russian influence law that was going to punish politicians ‘under Russian influence’. Until now, the ruling party has failed to set up the Russian influence commission. Firstly, because the amendments of President Duda delayed the creation of the commission, and secondly, because the opposition party did not select its candidates for it. The statements of members of the ruling party differ, with some saying there is no time to establish a commission now and that they will set up one after the elections, while others said they’ll try their best to establish one before the vote.

When it comes to the parliament…

On Wednesday, the 23rd, the parliament rejected a motion to hold Jarosław Kaczyński, the president of the ruling party and deputy prime minister, accountable for his words on Polish women. Back in twenty twenty-two, he blamed Polish women for low fertility in the country. In the parliamentary session, 238 MPs belonging to the ruling party and the Confederation Party rejected the motion. An official from the Confederation Party stated Kaczyński was exercising his right to freedom of speech.

More about the ruling party.

On Thursday, the 24th, the government announced the country’s budget for twenty twenty-four. The executive plans to spend 204 billion dollars and get 165 billion dollars in revenue. The country’s budget deficit is expected to be no more than forty billion dollars. This marks an increase in government spending, especially in the military and health fields, and its upgraded flagship: the “Family 800-plus” child benefit program.

Let’s talk a bit about security issues.

On Saturday, the 26th, a disturbance took place on the railways in the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. An individual took hold of the communication system of the trains and triggered a signal for an emergency stop, so the drivers halted their trains. Afterward, the suspect played the Russian anthem and Putin’s speech through the trains’ speakers. The police started an investigation to find the person responsible. Ruling party officials said that these actions aimed to cause destabilization before the election.

Another disturbance took place in Warsaw.

On Monday, the 28th, authorities evacuated 400 passengers from Chopin Airport in the capital after luggage with guns and grenades were found. After the evacuation, an operation took place to dispose of the explosives. Authorities reported that the luggage belonged to a South African citizen.

When it comes to other Police operations…

On Thursday, the 24th, security forces captured 970 pounds of drugs coming from South Africa. Authorities reported seizing drugs worth forty-four million dollars. This is the country’s biggest crackdown of the past few years.

On Tuesday, the 29th, police and tax inspectors also seized ten million illegal cigarettes in a raid. Authorities detained nine people, including one Paraguayan national and a Portuguese man.

A bacteria alarmed Poles.

On Friday, the 25th, authorities started an investigation after the legionella bacteria killed fourteen people in eastern cities with most cases in Rzeszów, near the Ukrainian border. Officials said that the bacteria caused Legionnaires disease, and that it has infected 159 people. Experts stated that the bacteria is not transmitted through direct contact. People can get infected by inhaling contaminated aerosols from contaminated water sources. Authorities suspect there might be Russian interference to sow panic.

The debates were also heated in foreign affairs.

On Wednesday, the 23rd, an attack on a Polish by an immigrant in Germany fueled the illegal immigration debate again. A twenty-year-old Afghan immigrant attacked a young Polish man in Germany and stole his wallet and mobile phone. Amid the incident, the Polish foreign ministry summoned a diplomat from the German embassy for talks. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticized Germany and the EU over their immigration policies.

In worsening relations with Belarus…

On Monday, the 28th, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania assured that they would close their borders with Belarus if a 'critical incident’ threatening one of these countries took place. In a meeting with interior ministers, the three bordering countries agreed to act together against Belarus. Countries will close their borders with Belarus if there is an armed incident that poses a threat to national security or if there is a mass breakthrough of migrants from Belarus.

In unrelated news…

On Monday, the 28th, a lawyer launched an interesting campaign to sue politicians for their unfulfilled promises. Piotr Pałka stated that citizens can use the courts to pursue their claims due to unfulfilled election promises

On the same day, consuming alcohol got one police officer fired from his work in Lublin. A police officer drank alcohol on his off day and drove a car where his nine-year-old child was also present. He then involved himself in a car accident in which he was injured, but his child was not harmed. The incident caused him to lose his job. A police commander said that "there is no tolerance for drunk drivers, and in the case of an officer, it is also the end of his career".

And that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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