WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s main opposition party said on Saturday it would convene a state tribunal if it wins October’s national election to consider allegations against ruling party figures and their allies, including the president, prime minister and the governor of the central bank.
In a sign of deep divisions ahead of the Oct. 15 vote, the liberal Civic Coalition (KO) grouping accuses the ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) of subverting democratic standards by increasing political control over the courts and turning state television into an outlet for propaganda. The government denies the accusations.
KO also demands that ruling party politicians should be held to account for a series of scandals concerning alleged irregularities in the purchases of medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a costly failed attempt to hold elections exclusively by post during lockdown.
PiS, meanwhile, accuses KO and its leader Donald Tusk of serving foreign interests, particularly those of Germany and Russia. It has set up a commission to examine Russian influence in Poland, which critics say is an attempt to eliminate Tusk from politics.
“Violations of the constitution and the rule of law will be quickly accounted for and judged,” KO said in a list posted online of 100 policies for its first 100 days in office.
Among those listed is central bank governor and PiS ally Adam Glapinski, who is accused of “destroying the independence of the National Bank of Poland and failing to implement the basic task of the NBP, which is to fight against inflation”.
Glapinski has faced accusations from Tusk of allowing politics to influence monetary policy since the central bank delivered a shock 75 basis point rate cut just weeks before the elections.
Glapinski has denied any allegations that the decision was politically motivated.
The central bank said that it “never comments on statements from politicians”.
According to KO, President Andrzej Duda, another PiS ally, should face a state tribunal for refusing to swear in judges appointed by the previous government and for pardoning the interior minister in a case where he was accused of abuse of power.
It also says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki should face a state tribunal for giving the order to attempt to hold the presidential elections by post in 2020.
The head of the president’s office and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Most polls for the national election show PiS with more than 35% of the vote, while the KO grouping has around 30%.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Mike Harrison)
