The centrist Civic Coalition (KO), Poland’s biggest opposition grouping, held a news conference at the Warsaw Central metro station, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The group's top lawmaker Borys Budka said: “Today like never before, Poland needs a government that is responsible, a government that tells the truth. Poland needs people who are capable of ensuring security.”
He stated: “That’s why the Civic Coalition is a real alternative to the Law and Justice (PiS) government, the only real alternative that can stop this bad government.”
The leaders of Poland's opposition Civic Coalition (KO) grouping: former Prime Minister Donald Tusk (centre), Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska (left) and Borys Budka (right). Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk
Meanwhile, two other opposition groupings, the centre-right Poland 2050 and the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL), signed a coalition agreement and said they would register as an electoral committee, The Third Way, in a matter of hours, the PAP news agency reported.
PSL leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that neither of the two main parties in Polish politics would be able to form a government on its own, and so it will be crucial who finishes third.
He told reporters that the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party "will be removed from power if the Third Way comes third,” adding that this would put an end to eight years of “destroying the rule of law, dividing Polish people, and harming the economy.”
Meanwhile, Poland 2050 leader Szymon Hołownia said the Third Way was “ready to meet the challenge and fight for a victory” in the parliamentary elections.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Szymon Hołownia. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
The far-right Confederation group on Wednesday morning registered its electoral committee, the first political grouping to do so, it said.
Its leaders Krzysztof Bosak and Sławomir Mentzen announced an electoral tour of the country that will see them meet voters in 18 cities around Poland between August 18 and October 7, the PAP news agency reported.
Bosak said the tour would start in the south-central city of Kielce and conclude in Warsaw.
Krzysztof Bosak. Photo: Polish Radio
The New Left alliance also announced it was registering an electoral committee, a broad coalition that also includes the Razem (Left Together) party, local government officials, and a number of green, feminist and minority groups, the PAP news agency reported.
Robert Biedroń, a member of the European Parliament and co-leader of the New Left, told reporters in the central city of Skierniewice: “The left wins elections when it stands united.”
Robert Biedroń. Photo: Krzysztof Świeżak/Polish Radio
Parties must register their electoral committees by August 28, officials said.
They will then be allowed to start collecting signatures in support of candidates for parliament, who must be registered by September 6, the PAP news agency reported.
To win seats in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, an individual party must garner more than 5 percent of the vote nationwide, while the threshold for electoral coalitions is 8 percent, the PAP news agency reported.
On Tuesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that the parliamentary elections would be held on October 15.
Polish President Andrzej Duda. Photo: Marek Borawski/KPRP
Poles from the age of 18 will head to the ballot box to elect 460 MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
Candidates must be at least 21 years of age for the lower house and 30 years old for the Senate, and can be put forward by political parties or voters, the PAP news agency reported.
Polish politicians gear up for elections
Poland's conservative Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday that the October 15 vote would be between his government’s vision of a “Poland based on solidarity” and a conflicting vision proposed by the opposition.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Poland’s governing conservatives in March launched an effort to win a third consecutive term in power, starting a nationwide tour to rally voters ahead of the elections and promising a raft of new policies “to make Poland stronger and secure.”
Poland's conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who serves as deputy prime minister, said on Sunday that the autumn election would be Poland’s most important ballot since 1989, with far-reaching consequences for national security and the economy.
Jarosław Kaczyński. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Wiktor
Meanwhile, the opposition appears to be set to enter the parliamentary election race divided into three separate blocs.
Two Polish opposition groupings, Poland 2050 and the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL), at the weekend reaffirmed their coalition agreement ahead of the elections, aiming to offer voters an alternative to the existing political options.
In February, Poland’s four main opposition parties, including Poland 2050 and the PSL, agreed to join forces in the race for the Senate, the upper house.
Donald Tusk, the former prime minister who heads Poland’s largest opposition party, the Civic Platform (PO), in January called for greater public scrutiny of election rules to avoid cases of "manipulation and fraud" in this year's parliamentary vote.
The ruling conservatives in 2019 won a convincing victory over opposition parties at the ballot box, securing a second term in power.
They maintained a majority in the 460-seat lower house, but narrowly lost control of the 100-seat upper house, the Senate.
The upper house is less powerful than the lower chamber, but it can delay or amend legislation. The Sejm, the lower house, needs to muster an absolute majority to override Senate amendments.
Bid to increase turnout
The Polish president in March approved changes to electoral law that officials say aim to bring polling stations closer to voters and increase turnout.
Under the new rules, drawn up by Poland’s ruling conservatives, municipalities without a well-developed mass transit system will need to provide voters with free transport to polling stations on election day.
Voters with disabilities and those aged 60 and older will be entitled to a free door-to-door transport service, bringing them from their homes to polling stations, according to officials.
The measure will also increase the number of polling stations nationwide by about 6,000, news outlets reported.
All these new rules are expected to increase voter turnout, officials have told reporters.
The new regulations also include the creation of a Central Electoral Register, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, rmf24.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.