Małgorzata Zych, active within the Senate Pact in District 54 (Stalowa Wola) in Podkarpacie, published an online statement condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine and labeling Vladimir Putin a war criminal. This response followed remarks from Third Way leaders who threatened to remove Zych from electoral lists if she did not condemn the Kremlin leader and the crimes in Ukraine.
Controversy surrounding the Third Way candidate
Małgorzata Zych left the Confederation list in the 2019 elections and recently led the Confederation Club in Tarnobrzeg. Her collaboration with Grzegorz Braun, a member of parliament from the same party, included co-organizing events such as the conference Stop the Ukrainering of Poland in Tarnobrzeg. In the upcoming elections, she is presented as a Senate candidate by the PSL as part of the Senate pact for constituency 54 in Stalowa Wola, Podkarpacie.
Asked by reporters whether she regretted remarks about what is described as Ukrainian influence on Poland, Zych explained that Polish society faces several issues that various groups perceive differently. She emphasized that the Senate should reflect the full diversity of society and she asserted that she never used the term eurokolkhoz to describe the European Union.
She reiterated that the country remains in the European Union and has no plans to leave it. She added that her views remain democratic. The Senate Pact was formed to unite all groups sharing democratic values, and she fully identifies with those values, she said.
Asked whether she believed Vladimir Putin was a war criminal, Zych replied that she is a local activist who does not engage deeply with high-level politics. She indicated that international institutions and bodies are responsible for recognizing Putin as a war criminal.
Threat of removal from electoral rolls
At the Poland of the Future Campus in Olsztyn, a young attendee pressed PSL and Poland 2050 leaders about why some individuals who allegedly cannot call Putin a criminal remain on the lists of the democratic opposition.
The search for a candidate to represent Stalowa Wola proved difficult with many dropping out and few willing to run for office, especially for the Senate. If someone can move from a negative to a positive stance, they should be invited and given a chance,
the politician replied. Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that similar shifts appear on lists of other election commissions. He added that there are many examples of people who have changed their minds and now align with the governing side.
He suggested that such shifts could influence voter movement away from the Confederacy and emphasized that it is an opportunity to address changes in public support. If the goal is to win the election, he said, the party cannot isolate itself in a narrow bubble. One point, however, was clear: if Mrs. Zych does not make a clear condemnation of Putin and his actions in Ukraine, including any implied genocide, she would not be considered the party’s candidate, he stated, drawing applause from the audience.
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Statement Zych
Małgorzata Zych issued a statement on social media reaffirming her condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine and describing Putin as a war criminal.
In response to repeated questions, she stated that she unequivocally condemns the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine. The crimes committed by Russia, she argued, make Vladimir Putin, who directs this aggression, a war criminal. All crimes committed during this war must be accounted for and the perpetrators punished.
She announced that, with the recommendation of the Polish People’s Party, she would participate in the Senate elections. She accepted the party program and the values guiding the group, including support for a democratic rule of law, freedom, and human dignity, which she believes are being challenged by Russia’s aggression.
— Malgorzata Zych.
wkt/TT/PAP
Source: wPolityce