New Left co-chair Robert Biedroń argues that voters heading to the local elections on April 7 should send a clear signal to the Third Way coalition partners over abortion policy. He suggests this moment could become a test of the coalition’s stance and tactics, raising questions about whether an open political contest is taking place among partners.
Biedroń urges voters not to back the Third Way
He urged listeners to reconsider supporting groups that he believes have blocked progress on women’s rights. He told RMF FM that the upcoming vote offers a chance to express a strong opinion about how Third Way politics are shaping policy. He stated that a red card could send a powerful message about his concerns. (citation: wPolityce)
According to him, some voters backed the Third Way mainly because they feared the group might fail to cross the electoral threshold. He argues that this time there is no such pressure to cast a provisional vote, and that voters should focus on issues rather than fear.
He framed the choice as a debate about protecting women and supporting business, urging voters to back candidates who defend women’s right to terminate a pregnancy. (citation: wPolityce)
Coalition tensions? The left’s stance on unity
Concerning the coalition, Biedroń reiterated that disagreements over abortion would not prompt the left to dissolve the alliance. He described the coalition as a broad, cooperative framework across multiple policy areas, noting that electoral math alone should not dictate its future.
When asked why liberalization of abortion rights was not included in the coalition agreement, he indicated that such a move would have undermined the very basis of the coalition.
He also suggested that threats from other groups to leave the coalition over issues like health insurance contributions would not succeed because the coalition would remain united if there was no agreement on contributions. (citation: wPolityce)
Plans to reduce working hours to seven per day
Biedroń announced that a draft law to cut the workday to seven hours could be ready within months, and he expressed confidence that coalition partners would back the proposal and that it stood a real chance of passage. He cited a statement from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy supporting such a reform.
He recalled that Prime Minister Donald Tusk had, during the election campaign, advocated shorter working hours for both men and women in Poland. The general idea, he noted, has parallels in other European countries.
He described a goal of achieving a 35-hour workweek in analogous terms to existing efforts abroad and pointed out that Poles, along with Greeks, tend to work some of the longest hours in Europe.
Looking ahead, he expressed a vision for Europe where the minimum wage is approached on a continental scale rather than determined by individual nations. (citation: wPolityce)
Debate on abortion legislation
Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Deputy Marshal of the Sejm and co-chair of the New Left, told reporters that the Confederation and the Third Way had agreed to pursue draft abortion laws during the current Sejm session. Earlier in the day, the Sejm Marshal Szymon Hołownia announced plans to proceed with abortion legislation on April 11, just after the first local elections round. (citation: wPolityce)
Readers were directed to related discussions on this topic, highlighting how abortion policy remains a central issue in local and national politics. (citation: wPolityce)
— End of the portion of coverage.