Plans to run for the Sejm under the United Right banner surface as the latest two laws near approval: establishing a formal role for Justices of the Peace and reducing the turnout threshold in local referenda, according to Paweł Kukiz, leader of Kukiz’15, as cited by PAP.
During the Sejm session that runs through Thursday, the debate over a local referenda bill—part of the program cooperation between Kukiz’15 and Law and Justice—could reach a vote. The proposal would lower the turnout threshold from 30 percent to 15 percent, potentially broadening the reach of local referenda decisions.
End of the subcommittee’s work
The subcommittee tasked with drafting the Justices of the Peace act, a key policy for Kukiz, is expected to finish its work and have it handed to the parliamentary committee on justice and human rights for further processing.
In an interview with PAP, Kukiz noted progress in the legislative process on both measures. “If the laws on local referenda and justices of the peace pass, I would consider a new nomination for the Sejm within the United Right framework,” the MP stated.
He also emphasized that there is no other option that would fulfill the 2004 Civic Platform postulates which he currently supports.
There has been a paradox, he suggested, where PiS has taken up citizen demands originally voiced by the PO in 2004 but later retraced or forgotten in practice.
According to Kukiz, in 2004 the PO promised a package of anti‑corruption measures, yet many argued that the party delivered little. He pointed out that in his view, the anti‑corruption law he advocates would address gaps that were previously overlooked.
Conversations with Jarosław Kaczyński
In discussions with PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński about participating in elections, Kukiz indicated he would push for program amendments including a mixed electoral model, a strengthened anti‑partisan stance, and the abolition of deputies’ immunities while extending similar considerations to senators.
The first reading of the draft on Justices of the Peace, prepared in the Chancellery of the President, occurred in the Sejm in December 2021. After that, the proposal went to the Sejm Committee and its Subcommittee. Introducing the Institute of Justices of the Peace remains one of Kukiz’15’s central program proposals.
The Courts and Justices of the Peace concept envisions creating a new category of courts within the ordinary judiciary. These courts would handle the simplest cases and would be staffed by judges elected to six‑year terms by universal suffrage, aiming to streamline ordinary judicial work.
As Kukiz repeatedly underscored in conversations with PAP, the 2021 agreement between his movement and Jarosław Kaczyński’s party made possible several reforms, including the anti‑corruption law, regulations on medical hemp and fiber hemp, direct sales to farmers, and the alignment of benefits for carers of disabled people.
gah/PAP