– This is democracy. Searching for a majority in a majority. It happens – said Andrzej Dera from the Chancellery of the President, commenting on another defeat of Łukasz Kmita from Law and Justice, who for the fifth time was not elected Marshal of the Małopolska Province, although PiS has a majority in the regional assembly. Commenting on the suspension of three councilors by the PiS authorities, Dera said that “nothing has been cut off, all heads are in their places”.
On Tuesday, the Marshal of the Małopolska Province failed to be elected for the fifth time. Neither PiS councilor Piotr Ćwik, who was suspended from his membership rights, nor PiS MP Łukasz Kmita did not receive enough votes to win the office of Marshal of Małopolska. Ćwik was supported by six councilors, Kmita by 13. 20 invalid votes were cast. Another attempt choice The councillors will make the decision at an extraordinary session called for Thursday at 6 p.m.
READ MORE: Stalemate in Małopolska, PiS candidate without support. Kaczyński: we will want to get rid of such people from the party
If councillors do not elect a marshal by 9 July, new elections to the regional council will be necessary. Councillors from all clubs stressed in conversations with journalists that they do not want re-elections, among other reasons, for fear of low turnout.
Another defeat for Łukasz Kmita. The Małopolska regional assembly is still without a marshalKatarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska/Fakty TVN
“This is democracy”
– This is democracy. Searching for a majority in a majority. It happens – commented on Wednesday in “Kropka nad i” presidential minister Andrzej Dera. – I admit that you have to have great personal ability to run for office five times and keep bouncing back, seeing that you don't have that majority – he added.
In Dera's opinion, “the last vote showed that if we don't reach the golden rule that functions in judo: 'give in order to win', those who currently have the majority will be defeated”. – Because when you count the votes, 19 votes that took part in the ineffective election of the marshal, and 20 that abstained, if it happens again tomorrow, the marshal will be from the other side, so there is still time to come to your senses – stated Minister Dera.
Łukasz Kmita during the session of the Małopolska Voivodeship AssemblyPAP/Łukasz Gągulski
“There is one rule when it comes to councilors”
In June, before the second lost vote, the PiS president Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Krakow he personally spoke with councillors, and subsequent votes in the Małopolska regional assembly were personally supervised by the former deputy speaker of the Sejm Richard Terlecki.
Asked whether Kmita's defeat was evidence of Jarosław Kaczyński's weakness, Dera replied that “there is one rule when it comes to councilors: they should do it themselves, and it should not be imposed on them from above”. – It is the councilors who vote and they should find ways for themselves – he noted, adding that there should be no pressure from above, because it is “counterproductive”.
– We can see that this is the fifth time this has been attempted (the election of the province marshal – ed.), because the problem at the beginning was the method of election. When I was a councilor, we ourselves decided on the following principle: let's first establish procedures for how we elect and nominate candidates so that the one who won in our internal arrangements is then elected. And this is what has happened so far, but here, when someone is imposed from above, well, then there is a problem – he assessed.
The PiS chairman was asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he had no idea or strength to sort out the situation in the Małopolska PiS and regional assembly. – First of all, I have the idea to simply eliminate people who, in such a situation, which no longer threatens the party, but Poland, from the party – replied Kaczyński.
According to Dera, comments about traitors are “completely unnecessary”. – This is not how politics should look like – he argued.
PiS councilor abandoned Kmita, anointed by Kaczyński, and voted for the PSL candidate?TVN24
“Nothing has been cut off, all heads are in place”
Unexpectedly, during Tuesday's session, Deputy Marshal Józef Gawron announced the candidacy of provincial councilor, former governor Piotr Ćwik. This meant that Ćwik was the countercandidate of PiS MP Łukasz Kmita, who was running for the office for the fifth time. The announcement of Ćwik's candidacy aroused indignation among some PiS councilors and MPs present in the session hall, including the deputy head of the PiS parliamentary club Ryszard Terlecki and Małopolska councilor Barbara Nowak.
Following Tuesday's vote, three PiS councillors were suspended from their membership rights: the current voivodeship marshal Witold Kozłowski, vice-marshal Józef Gawron and minister in the Chancellery of the President Piotr Ćwik.
– Nothing has been cut off, all heads are in their places – Dera argued. He emphasized that PiS councilors were suspended, not expelled from the party. – They could be suspended again in a moment, and the rule is simple: “step down to win” – he repeated.
– Someone really needs to sit down there and say: listen, let's think about it, let's sort things out and decide on a candidate, let's propose him – Dera said. Asked whether Kmita should give up, he replied: – If I were him, I wouldn't run for the third time, and the fourth time would be a disaster.
Main image source: TVN24