Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki “shamelessly” broke the law when he ordered the Polish postal company to prepare a postal vote in view of the country’s presidential elections. He was not competent for this, a judge in Warsaw ruled on Tuesday.
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The elections were scheduled for May 10, but could not go ahead as planned due to the corona measures. Prior to the elections, the ruling majority had therefore indicated that they wished to reform the ballot box and only provide the option of voting by mail. That had never been organized in Poland before, so a change in the law was needed.
Parliament approved them just days before the elections. Morawiecki turned out to have already instructed the postal company to prepare such a vote by letter, which, together with the cost of that decision, caused consternation in Poland.
No power
“Neither the Constitution nor the laws on the Council of Ministers confer powers on the Prime Minister to organize or prepare an election,” said Judge Grzegorz Rudnicki, according to Polish news agency PAP.
In a statement to the press, government spokesman Piotr Mueller called the judge’s decision “surprising” and pointed out that at the time the order was issued certain vulnerable populations had approved the right to vote by mail. Whether there will be an appeal against the verdict is still being considered, Mueller said.
Dismissal requested
The opposition has already asked for Morawiecki’s resignation, but it is very unlikely that it will come to that.
Poland eventually postponed the elections to June 28. Voters could vote in the polling station as well as by post. Incumbent President Andrzej Duda won the ballot box.
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