Former Prime Minister Marek Belka is set to lead the New Left’s slate for the European Parliament elections in Poland’s Łódź region. Joining him on the list are MP Paulina Matysiak and several regional activists who will compete for the EP seat.
The New Left unveiled its candidates for the European Parliament in Łódź Voivodeship constituency No. 6 at a press conference held in the city on Tuesday.
Belka’s candidacy reiterated
The head of the list is Marek Belka, a former President of the National Bank of Poland, who is seeking re-election. Five years earlier, he was elected to the European Parliament from the Civic Coalition’s list. He secured more than 182,000 votes and won one of the three seats from the Łódź district.
These elections carry significant weight, especially as the European Union faces pressures that some describe as a rise of nationalist populism threatening unity. At the same time, there is a clear call for European solidarity in light of security concerns from Russia, Belka noted.
In second place on the list is MP Paulina Matysiak. The remaining positions are filled by regional activists: Iwona Kaźmierska-Małyska, Oskar Kuliński, Agnieszka Luksztejdt, Zbigniew Krasiński, Małgorzata Powązka, Mateusz Osiecki, Agnieszka Smoręda from the Razem party, and Mateusz Pietras.
“I will lead a strong team. The value here is that the list includes people from specific parts of our Voivodeship. They are known and respected locally, which offers hope for a solid result,” Belka stated.
New Left platform and priorities
Matysiak urged voters to back the New Left’s candidates, describing the campaign as one with a transparent and distinctive program. She highlighted concrete goals for the European term ahead. The party advocates launching a European housing fund to address a pressing issue in Poland: the affordability of homes for young people. EU funding could be directed to support this program, she argued.
The parliamentarian also emphasized a focus on transportation to improve mobility across the continent through rail infrastructure. She stressed that security and defense issues feature prominently in the New Left’s platform.
Belka added that key priorities for the new term include addressing migration challenges and advancing the Green Deal. He noted that many policy questions touch people directly in the region and in Łódź, and that these concerns are often debated in the European Parliament with regional impacts in mind.
Belka called the elections a crucial test of democracy and responsibility. He encouraged voters to support candidates who actively back the European Union and deeper integration, explicitly favoring the left’s vision for the bloc.
Tomasz Trela, a member of parliament and head of the New Left group in the Łódź region, echoed the call for stronger EU engagement. He underscored the aim of ensuring Poland’s security within a more closely connected European Union and highlighted EU funding as a driver for national development as Poland approaches the milestone of its EU membership twenty years ago.
The European Parliament elections in Poland are scheduled for June 9, with the country selecting 53 members of the Parliament.
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PAP/bjg
Source: wPolityce