Home » World » Elections 2020. Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowski respond to the postulates of Paweł Kukiz

Elections 2020. Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowski respond to the postulates of Paweł Kukiz

  • “Peace judges would deal with the simplest things, e.g. neighborhood disputes or fines,” the president predicts.
  • “We need to talk about creating real opportunities to organize referendums on matters important to citizens,” writes Duda
  • Trzaskowski declared that, like Kukiz, he also perceives the problems of the tax system. “I have repeatedly announced that I would not agree to raising taxes and other fees that are to hit people” – he emphasized

On Tuesday, the leader of Kukiz’15 asked the candidates before the second round five questions whether they are for: the introduction of the Referendum Day and people’s veto, single-mandate constituencies, judges of peace, a ban on introducing new taxes without a referendum and the presidential system.

As he said then, he asked the presidential candidates “five questions that would allow voters to decide whether to go to elections at all.” Kukiz asked for an answer within 24 hours so that he knew “how to comment on each candidate”.

“I support the idea of ​​Paweł Kukiz to introduce judges of peace in Poland”

Today, Kukiz on RMF FM announced that he had received replies from both candidates. PAP received both these letters.

As President Duda, who is applying for re-election, wrote, “he shares Paweł Kukiz’s concern for the state of Polish democracy.” “That is why I strongly emphasize and promise that I will try to cover the divisions that have divided Poland in the last decade to an even greater extent. Political tensions in our homeland are too great, often disproportionately large to real differences. I believe that beyond our attitude we need to talk about specific political solutions that will make our public life and debate better, “he wrote.

“I support the idea of ​​Paweł Kukiz to introduce judges of peace in Poland,” declares the president and pointed out that “this would speed up court proceedings, relieve Polish courts or, as it is said, expertly reduce court cognition.”

“Peace judges would deal with the simplest matters, e.g. neighborhood disputes or fines. This idea is important to me and that’s why we’ve been working on specific solutions for more than two years in the President’s Office. I hope that in this term we will introduce peace judges to Polish law as such judges of trust, judges who are closer to people. There are some constitutional problems here, but I think we will solve them. I am committed to preparing the appropriate project in the first year of the new term. I am an advocate for the judges of peace. I am absolutely for that, “he wrote.

“We will never get full stability of tax law”

Andrzej Duda also declares that he agrees that Polish tax law must be simplified. “It’s too complicated, sometimes ambiguous,” he says.

“I am close to the idea of ​​creating a tax law code, one act in which all tax regulations would be systematically and synthetically gathered. I believe that tax regulations should change rarely, because it helps to plan citizens, and in particular to run a business. I think that it is worth talking about regulations that would impede the introduction of new and raising existing taxes. At the same time, we know that we will never obtain full stability of tax law, because events such as the recent coronavirus epidemic sometimes require rapid changes. I was pleased to sign laws lowering PIT, CIT or VAT rates on many important articles for families, “wrote the president.

“I know that matters of civil society, direct democracy, single-mandate constituencies are among the most important postulates of Paweł Kukiz, but also for many compatriots” – writes the president to Kukiz and emphasizes that “he agrees that Poles should be given more opportunities to decide directly on matters of the state and influencing politics “.

“We should consider reviving the institution of the referendum”

He also announces that “that’s why after the elections I will appoint the Chancellery of the President of the State Secretary for Civil Society.” “I would also like a social council for civil society to be established by the President of the Republic of Poland, to which I invite representatives of various parliamentary and non-parliamentary political and social environments. We should consider reviving the institution of the referendum, and perhaps even the introduction of a referendum day. In any case, we need to talk about creating real possibilities of organizing referendums on matters important to citizens. Of course, it should be remembered that they should not concern matters already regulated in the Constitution, “he wrote.

In the letter, the president agrees with Kukiz that “the Polish Constitution contains atypical political solutions regarding the executive branch”. “The division of powers between the President and the government sometimes raises doubts. In recent years, this has not been a major problem because of the very good cooperation between the Head of State and the Council of Ministers, but it may cause difficulties in the future. The separation of powers should be clarified especially in the area of ​​foreign policy and matters of defense, “wrote Duda.

Trzaskowski to Kukiz: I myself am a supporter of mixed ordination

Rafał Trzaskowski also responded to Kukiz’s letter. The candidate of the Civic Coalition wrote that he agrees with a significant part of the diagnosis of Kukiz’s political situation. He reserved, however, that he was much closer to Kukiz’s assessment of the current situation in Poland than to his proposed “way to break the deadlock”.

“Yes, today we are deeply divided as a society and we – all politicians – are to blame for this,” wrote Trzaskowski. He added that he also agrees with Kukiz’s thesis that greater involvement of citizens in politics and greater civic control over the rulers will help renew the Polish political system.

According to Trzaskowski, the introduction of the institution of Peace Judges postulated by Kukiz could improve the operation of the judiciary. He declared that he was ready to talk about reforming the electoral law. “I myself am a supporter of mixed ordination,” he declared. He expressed the conviction that “Polish politics needs new faces, greater involvement of social activists, experts and people who see politics as a way to change reality, not their own career”.

“I will not agree to raising taxes”

Trzaskowski declared that, like Kukiz, he also perceives the problems of the tax system. “I have repeatedly announced that I would not agree to raising taxes and other fees that are to hit people. Enough to look for extra money in the citizens’ pocket” – he emphasized.

He declared that he understood Kukiz’s arguments regarding changes in the constitution, but in his opinion “the election campaign is the last moment in the life of the country where one should talk about its change”. “It is rather a time when every politician owes Poles a declaration of its defense and compliance, especially if he is seeking the office of the President of the Republic of Poland” – he said.

He added that “it is difficult to open talks today about constitutional changes in a situation where a political party, which has almost complete monopoly of power, overtly breaks and disregards it.” As he noted, the overturning of respect for the law “should be the first common goal of action”.

Trzaskowski does not support the idea of ​​choosing the Prosecutor General in the general election

Referring to the proposal by the introduction of the Referendum Day, Trzaskowski pointed out that in the current constitutional order there is an institution of a nationwide referendum initiated by the president, which was approved by the participation of the Senate. “I understand that in your opinion the current turnout threshold is too high. I see the idea of ​​lowering it as a desire to revive this mechanism of citizen participation,” he wrote, but he doubted that “this is the optimal solution.” He noted that he saw some threats in this solution, but agrees that the authorities too rarely take into account the voice of citizens in the decision-making process and is ready to talk about launching changes that would increase the participation of citizens in the decision-making process. Trzaskowski noted that he reads the idea of ​​”folk veto” similarly.

According to the KO candidate, the most difficult postulate to be fulfilled by Kukiz would be to change the system to a presidential system. “Such a change certainly requires not only a broad discussion of all political groups, but also a long and mature debate with Poles” – he emphasized. According to him, the current system “is imperfect, because it distributes the burden of decision-making between parliament, government and president, but grows out of a certain tradition and was an attempt to balance power.”

Trzaskowski noted that the only proposal by Kukiz, with which he disagrees entirely, is the proposal to choose the Prosecutor General’s Office in general elections. “In my opinion, this would lead to an even deeper politicization of the prosecutor’s office,” he said. He proposed an alternative solution: it is the president who should appoint the Prosecutor General, giving him full independence – and the ability to hold office for only one term.

(pc)

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