“We spoke loudly about democracy and peace, yet the actions that followed looked anti-democratic. There isn’t a new voice here. Everyone saw what happened, right?” Elżbieta Witek, the former Marshal of the Sejm, remarked in an interview with journalists about the Sejm vote.
Commentary from Elżbieta Witek
The former Sejm marshal spoke on the election of deputy marshals by MPs, noting that she did not secure the necessary majority. On behalf of the PiS parliamentary club, she reaffirmed that the party would not nominate another candidate for the deputy marshal post.
It cannot be that someone advances candidates for the biggest party, the one that won these elections. There will be no other candidate but me
– she declared.
In recent years, Members of Parliament from the opposition benches have praised her as marshal, saying she performed the role admirably and effectively.
– she said.
She underscored the obligation to be elected to this role, noting that, among Sejm chairs since 1989, she had held the position the longest. Unlike her predecessors, including Radosław Sikorski who served as marshal from September 2014 to June 2015, she claimed to have followed the rules and respected opposition rights. She also said that opposition MPs had privately told her over four years that they valued her performance in the office.
It is worth asking why the opposition did not submit a motion to dismiss the Sejm chairman given the anger
– she added. She described her tenure as a time of challenges not faced by previous Sejm chairs, such as elections during the coronavirus pandemic, which were not defined in the constitution.
Marshal Elżbieta Witek also drew attention to the hostility directed at her, describing it as a long-running barrage against a modest, unobtrusive woman from those who defend women’s rights. She added that the opposition, now seeking power, would be afraid of something.
In her view, fear drives the current behavior
– she noted. She emphasized that the most important measure of her work was the election result, which showed a gain of 50,000 votes compared with the 2019 election.
The Sejm’s evaluation is not the ultimate measure for her. What matters is the opinion of her constituents, for which she expressed gratitude, and not the spectacle of today’s proceedings
– she stressed.
If she had performed badly, opponents would have had ample time to file a motion to dismiss her. The opposition has already filed motions against ministers and could have pursued a motion to remove the marshal if they believed she failed in her duties.
– she concluded.
Scandal over the deputy marshal election
On Monday evening, six candidates for deputy speakers of the Sejm were put to a vote. Monika Wielichowska and Dorota Niedziela represented the KO, Włodzimierz Czarzasty ran for the New Left, Piotr Zgorzelski represented Trzecia Droga-PSL, and Krzysztof Bosak stood for Konfederacja. Elżbieta Witek, the current Sejm president backed by PiS, did not receive the required majority.
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– Report: The Sejm Session of the Tenth Term saw 460 parliamentarians taking an oath. Elżbieta Witek was not elected Deputy Speaker of the Sejm!
— Jarosław Kaczyński: We are prepared for a lack of a deputy marshal. The PiS club will not nominate a new candidate. Any change would come from that side.
– A powerful speech by the PiS president defending Marshal Witek. The speaker described an extraordinary level of aggression and rudeness in the Sejm. VIDEO
olnk/PAP/TVP info
Source: wPolityce