2024-08-29 19:07 update: 2024-08-30, 21:45
Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
The previous government party Law and Justice (PiS), now in opposition, may be deprived of subsidies for three years due to irregularities found in the financing of its election campaign before last year's general vote, Poland’s National Electoral Commission (PKW) has said.
The PKW met on Thursday to consider the financial reports of election committees from the parliamentary election that took place on October 15, 2023.
Following the meeting, the head of the PKW, Sylwester Marciniak, told a press conference that the commission had decided to reject the PiS report on the financing of its pre-election campaign.
According to the PKW, PiS illegally spent 3.6 million zlotys (EUR 840,510 ) on the 2023 campaign.
Ryszard Balicki, the PKW member, listed among PiS's actions violating the electoral campaign rules by misuse of funds, electioneering at military picnics held on Armed Forces Day and in the justice ministry's advertising spot.
"(The resolution - PAP) also mentions the amounts distributed for the remuneration of the Government Legislation Centre (RCL) employees, and we have information that these employees were not doing their substantive work but were only used to run the election campaign of the then RCL head," Balicki added.
As a result, the subsidy for the PiS election committee will be reduced by PLN 10 million (EUR 2.33 mln), Marciniak told reporters.
Under normal circumstances, he added, the subsidy for this electoral committee would amount to over PLN 38 million (EUR 8.87 mln). However, due to the identified infringement, it will amount to PLN 28 million (EUR 6.53 mln).
"The consequences are more serious when it comes to subsidies for political parties, Marciniak said.
"The party will be deprived of them for three years unless it appeals against the resolution passed on Thursday."
Krzysztof Lorentz from PKW explained later that the possibility of PiS losing its right to a three-year subsidy does not directly depend on the resolution adopted by the PKW on Thursday but is its "possible future consequence."
Marciniak added that the PKW will take up for review annual financial reports of political parties and, next month, will adopt a resolution in this respect, and only then the decision on subsidies for PiS will be made.
A complaint against the resolution may be filed with the Supreme Court (SN) by a financial representative of the election committee within 14 days of receiving the PKW's decision.
If the SN finds the complaint justified, the PKW will accept the financial report.(PAP)
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