Polish opposition criticised for not finding common ground in standoff with government

Record ID: 162427

  • Title: Polish opposition criticised for not finding common ground in standoff with government
  • Date: 28th December 2016
  • Summary: WARSAW, POLAND (‪DECEMBER 28‬, 2016) (REUTERS) PROTESTER CAMP IN FRONT OF THE POLISH PARLIAMENT FLAGS ON TOP OF PARLIAMENT BEHIND CHRISTMAS TREE PROTESTERS CAMP PASSERS-BY READING THE "DECALOGUE OF FREEDOM" PROTESTERS OPPOSITION MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AT CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) MEMBER OF OPPOSITION CIVIC PLATFORM PARTY, MALGORZATA KIDAWA-BLONSKA, SAYING: "There weren't any attempts to communicate with us, to find a solution to this stalemate, but the issue seems to be simple: to pass the budget in the plenary and Law and Justice has a majority."
  • Embargoed: 12th January 2017 17:01
  • Keywords: Poland opposition parliament hall
  • Location: WARSAW, POLAND
  • City: WARSAW, POLAND
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015ESRE49
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Polish opposition lawmakers are blocking the parliament's main hall accusing the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party of undermining democracy and the constitution but are also facing hard criticism on the streets of Warsaw for not finding common ground in their standoff with the government.
    The political crisis began last week when the PiS announced plans to curb media access to parliament and escalated when a vote on the 2017 budget was moved outside parliament's main chamber, to a plenary session, with media excluded.
    Members of the opposition parties have said that until there is some development in the matter, they will be staging the protest until 11 January, the first day of parliamentary sitting in 2017. They have been in parliament since December 16.
    "There weren't any attempts to communicate with us, to find a solution to this stalemate," Civic Platform lawmaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska told Reuters on Wednesday (December 28).
    "But the issue seems to be simple," she added, in a swipe at the PiS, "to pass the budget in the plenary, and Law and Justice has a majority."
    Rafal Chwedoruk, a political analyst at the Warsaw University, said the two main protesting parties had reached deadlock while struggling for leadership.
    "The ruling party was willing to compromise, which would have had been an evident success for the opposition, but the struggle for leadership between the leaders of (centre-right) Civic Platform and (liberal, pro-market) Nowoczesna has led the parties to adopt what is called 'Latin opposition', that meaning total opposition."
    Poland has seen its economy, the largest in ex-communist central Europe, expand by nearly 50 percent in the last decade, with pro-market Civic Platform focusing on trying to make the most of EU aid and combining green field investment with fiscal prudence.
    But pockets of poverty and economic stagnation remain, and last year PiS was able to exploit growing frustration in some areas that the spoils of economic success are not more evenly shared.
    The party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, enjoys steady support among many Poles eager to hear its message of higher welfare, more Catholic values in public life and less dependence on foreign capital.
    Lukasz Lipinski, head analyst of the Polityka Insight think-tank, warned about the dangers of extending the political crisis.
    "We have got like two sides, millions of people on two sides really thinking that they are right and then inside of both of these (political) camps you have growing, let's say the growing feeling that you can radicalise. So in long-term, this situation can get even more out of control and that could be dangerous," he said.
    Opinions in the streets of Warsaw were diverse.
    "I don't like what is happening there, I don't like the way the current majority rules and I don't like the way the opposition solves political disputes and the fact that they cannot find a consensus," said Gregorz.
    They are rabble. Somebody should put them into a sack and drop them into a lake," Halina added.
    "I try to not think about it because I get anxious about what is happening in our country. It is a huge mess. I am terrified what's happening," Iwona stated.
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