The chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Sylwester Marciniak, expressed hope that during Monday's meeting, the members of the Commission would take a position on the question of the Minister of Finance about the payment of funds to Law and Justice. He assessed that failure to pay them could be the basis for election protests.
National Electoral Commission will meet on Monday. He will then have to respond to the letter of the Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański at the beginning of January regarding the interpretation of the resolution in which the National Electoral Commission approved the financial report of the PiS election committee from the elections to the Sejm and Senate in 2023.
Marciniak noted on Wednesday in Polsat News that the National Electoral Commission cannot adopt a resolution on the interpretation of its other resolution, because there is no such procedure in the Electoral Code. He added that “possibly” an explanation for the Minister of Finance is possible.
– This is subject to assessment by the National Electoral Commission. We will meet on Monday and I hope that we will make some decision in this regard. I brought it up for discussion. NEC members are to take a stand, he said. – I hope that we will reach a consensus, or at least a compromise, and it will not be a rotten compromise – added Marciniak.
He also pointed out that when the National Electoral Commission considered the report of the PiS election committee on the parliamentary elections in the summer, it had information about almost 60 notifications to law enforcement agencies regarding irregularities in financing the party's campaign.
– It's January and we haven't received a single ruling – not even from a criminal court, not even a final one – that there was a conviction in connection with electoral matters – said the chairman of the National Electoral Commission.
Sylwester MarciniakPAP
Head of the National Electoral Commission: failure to implement the resolution may be the basis for election protests
He also emphasized that the issue of the Minister of Finance paying a subsidy and then a subsidy to PiS is a “technical activity” after the National Electoral Commission on December 30 adopted – as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling – the financial report of the PiS election committee.
Marciniak said that the Minister of Finance should pay the money to PiS as early as possible “so that there is no threat of hundreds or thousands of election protests.” – We receive such conclusions and letters that if the resolution of the National Electoral Commission is not implemented, it may constitute the basis for allegations of election protests – said Marciniak.
When asked what about the second decision of the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court regarding money for PiS, he pointed out that accepting the complaint of a political party against the decision of the National Electoral Commission to reject its annual report obliges the National Electoral Commission – in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Code – to immediately adopt this reports. However, he expressed fear that also in this case a situation like in the case of the PiS election committee's report on the 2023 elections would repeat itself.
A dispute over money for PiS
In August 2024, the National Electoral Commission rejected the financial report of the PiS election committee from the 2023 parliamentary elections, showing evidence-based irregularities in the spending of campaign funds in the amount of PLN 3.6 million. In November, the National Electoral Commission also rejected PiS's annual financial report for 2023.
PiS appealed against both decisions of the National Electoral Commission to the Supreme Court. On December 11, the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court, unrecognized by European tribunals, created by PiS politicians and staffed by the National Council of the Judiciary, which was politicized by them, decided that the PiS financial report should be accepted.
Therefore, on December 30, the National Electoral Commission adopted the financial report of the PiS committee from the 2023 parliamentary elections. At the same time, the National Electoral Commission emphasized that it does not determine whether the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court is a court and does not determine its effectiveness.
The decision of the National Electoral Commission was sent to the Minister of Finance, Andrzej Domański, who orders transfers to political parties. Domański, however, asked the National Electoral Commission for an interpretation of this decision.
On Tuesday, the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court accepted the second complaint of PiS regarding the rejection of its financial report for 2023.
Main photo source: PAP