Law and Justice and Jarosław Kaczyński, through changes to the Electoral Code, have led to great chaos with precincts abroad today. And when I hear the chairman of the National Electoral Commission who does not know, a month before the elections, what will happen to these votes, I have the impression that we are consciously giving up thousands of votes that may be lost – commented the head of the Left club, Krzysztof Gawkowski. Polish 2050 MP Joanna Mucha said that the chairman of the National Electoral Commission “has an obligation to make sure that every vote will be counted, and not to give a chance,” said Joanna Mucha, Polish 2050 MP.
On Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs issued a regulation on the creation of 402 voting districts abroad. To cast a vote, you must contact the territorially competent consul to be included in the voter roll. Applications can be submitted until October 10.
Head of the National Electoral Commission Sylwester Marciniak When asked on Saturday in “One on One” on TVN24 whether “402 is the number that allows us to tell all of us today that all votes abroad will be counted on time”, he replied that “there is definitely a chance.”
– Compared to 2019, when 320 districts were created abroad, at the moment, taking into account that on average 400,000 people take part in the elections abroad (ed.), there are a thousand people per district – said Marciniak. – This week we issued an opinion on the regulation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding the number of districts. And I noticed that when it comes to… United StatesGreat Britain, Germany, there are several dozen voting circuits established abroad, so there shouldn’t be a problem – added the head of the National Electoral Commission.
Counting votes in precincts abroad. Marciniak: there shouldn’t be a problemTVN24
The head of the National Electoral Commission should “ensure that every vote is counted”
Politicians commented on the words of the head of the National Electoral Commission on Sunday.
– The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission is obliged to make sure that every vote will be counted, not to give it a chance – said Joanna Mucha, MP from Poland 2050. – Due to the fact that we have information that there may not be enough of these commissions to count the votes, in my opinion this is the full responsibility of the chairman of the National Electoral Commission – she said. She added that “he should ensure that every vote is counted.”
– (National) Electoral Commission he is right that they may not be able to cope because we see how inept they are. I just wanted to draw your attention to one thing – in Vienna, out of seven commissions, five are in parishes, in Essen there is one district electoral commission in a church. Is this a secular state, or should voting be organized this way to ensure people’s neutrality? That’s not what it looks like. The Polish community reports various problems, said the MP from the Civic Coalition Barbara Nowacka.
Tyszka: I would expect specific words
– However, I would expect specific words. PiS is very afraid of support for the Confederation abroad for years. And for years, Poles living abroad have had problems with voting because there are too few precincts and commissions, said Confederation MP Stanisław Tyszka.
“I hope this electoral process will proceed peacefully.”
– Sometimes over the years, as we have seen, there have been various kinds of difficulties. However, I hope that this electoral process will proceed peacefully and information regarding elections They will also be provided relatively quickly, said Paweł Sałek from the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.
Gawkowski: we have great chaos with circuits abroad
As the head of the Left club, Krzysztof Gawkowski, said:Law and Justice and Mr. (Jarosław) Kaczyński, with changes to the Electoral Code, have led to great chaos with precincts abroad today.” – It is not known whether the votes will be counted on time, whether they will reach Poland here in due time and whether they will be included in the total pot – he added.
– And when I hear the chairman of the National Electoral Commission who does not know, a month before the elections, what will happen to these votes, I have the impression that we are consciously giving up thousands of votes that may be lost – said Gawkowski.
Concerns about voting abroad
According to experts, changes to the Electoral Code may result in votes cast abroad being considered null and void. This will happen if foreign commissions do not send the results to the National Electoral Commission within 24 hours. In an April statement, the Ombudsman for Human Rights, Marcin Wiącek, signaled that Article 230, § 2 of the Electoral Code, which specifies a 24-hour deadline, “violates the essence of electoral law.”
Provisions regarding a 24-hour deadline for determining the election results in precincts abroad have existed since 2001. However, the problem may arise from the fact that the vote counting process may be extended in the next elections due to other regulations adopted by PiS. According to the amended Electoral Code, the chairman of the commission must personally inspect each ballot, which will extend the work.
Main photo source: PAP/Leszek Szymański