Public hearing in the Senate of candidates for the head of KBW

Candidates for the head of the National Electoral Office listened to in the Senate presented, among others, the motivation to run for the position of the head of the KBW, a vision of the office's activity, including in the area of ​​cooperation with the PKW and the functioning of IT systems.

Then they were asked by parliamentarians, representatives of non -governmental organizations and Internet users, including on the application of the provisions of the Electoral Code, including e.g. on the issue of recognition of the status of the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court, the digitization of the election process, control of financing election campaigns and political parties or electoral education.

The hearing took place in the presence of, among others head of the office of the Senate Ewa Polkowska and the head of the Chancellery of President Małgorzata Paprocka, who – next to the head of the Chancellery of the Sejm (represented by the general director managing the office of the Speaker of the Sejm Stanisław Zakroczymski) – give opinions on candidates. The final decision on the choice of one of the candidates will be made by the National Electoral Commission.

Grzegorz Lewocki, who has over 20 years of experience related to electoral law, observation missions of elections and election administration, emphasized during his presentation that he intends to introduce KBW to such a level that there were no reservations in the face of elections in Poland.

– I would like to professionally introduce KBW to such a level so that we do not have to listen or read (recommendations) in reports, whether OSCE, the Venetian commission, or other international organizations that come to us and monitor our Polish elections – said Lewocki.

As he noted, the National Electoral Office has an established position and has been functioning great for years. – As a possible future head of this office, I do not see any great staff changes there. I would not intend to introduce any revolutions – he declared.

According to information, the Ministry of Interior and Administration shows that Lewocki participated in over 42 observation missions of elections for the European Union, organization of security and cooperation in Europe, the European Network of Organization Monitoring Elections (Enemo).

In addition, in 2018-2020 as part of the OSCE mission in Kosovo he was the head of the election team. From 2020, he has been the main expert for monitoring court administration under the EU mission for the rule of law (Eulex Kosovo).

Another candidate Witold Niemkowicz, who is a long -term employee of the KBW delegation in Słupsk, and since 2012 has been its director, he assessed that the office should develop IT tools that allow you to improve the election process, as well as the activities of office delegations.

– In the election process we have registration of committees of candidates, which are supported by lists of signatures. This process is long -lasting and the introduction of an electronic solution would facilitate this task, as for KBW, also for committees – he emphasized.

According to Niemkowicz, the problem is financing election campaigns and access to financial statements from the campaign. In his opinion, committees should be facilitated to conduct campaigns and ensure access to their reports on the Internet.

– There should be a tool that will allow you to observe the election process of committees by insight into the election campaign and control this activity during the campaign. At the moment there is no such tool that would help and observe the election process and the election campaign. We only see access to the process in the media and in social media – explained Niemkowicz, who – according to the Ministry of Interior and Administration – deals with tasks in the field of organizational and technical and legal preparation of elections and referendums.

The third in order of speech, candidate Rafał Tkacz, who has been the director of the KBW delegation in Opole since 2006, indicated three areas that are important to him as a possible future head of KBW. This is cooperation with the PKW, support for KBW delegations and the development and security of information systems that support electoral processes.

Referring to the support system of electoral bodies (WOW), whose main task is, among others Determining the results of voting, it is necessary to provide him with full safety in this respect, including thanks to the constant control of the Internal Security Agency.

– The results of elections sent in the IT system in Poland must be available as soon as possible, but above all they must be safe, reliable and indisputable. It will be my goal – he assured.

In the case of the central system of voters' register – as he argued – the most important thing is that “voters receive a maximum of a lot and fully reliable information through the MOBKITNA application entirely associated with the Central Registry of Voters.”

Tkacz also emphasized that he is a great supporter of strengthening the role of KBW delegations and “a wide, educational exit outdoor”. – The delegation of the National Electoral Office cannot be closed, focused only on administrative work. These must be places where everyone will receive full, transparent information – he said. He also pointed out that there is no need to make a revolution in KBW, because he was – as he said – well managed.

According to the Ministry of Interior and Administration, before taking the function of the head of the Opole delegation, as its employee, he took part in the organization and supervision of elections and referendums in the Opolskie Voivodeship, including In the EU accession referendum in 2003, in the 2004 EP elections, in the presidential election and parliamentary elections in 2005.

The term of office of the head of the National Electoral Office, who manages the work of the election administration, is responsible for the organizational, financial and technical conditions of elections or referendums, lasts seven years. The term of office of the current head of KBW Magdalena Pietrzak ends on March 3.

According to applicable regulations, the head of the National Electoral Office is appointed by the National Electoral Commission, whom he elects from among the candidates presented by the Minister of the Interior and Administration.

The rules for the election of the head of the KBW were set out in the Electoral Code. On their basis, the minister competent for the interior presents three people to choose from by the National Electoral Commission. Earlier, the minister obtains the opinions of the heads of the Chancellery of the Sejm, Senate and the President in this matter.