Calls for early elections should serve as the coalition’s central message on October 15. The assertion that governance is blocked by the president and that a stronger mandate is needed to reject the president’s vetoes could become a powerful electoral demand designed to mobilize supporters of the ruling coalition, according to Aleksander Kwaśniewski as quoted in Wprost.
Kwaśniewski indicated that Jarosław Kaczyński’s party has been running a campaign framed around the idea that speedier elections are needed because power can be reclaimed. He argued that the coalition’s go‑to slogan on October 15 should be a demand for early elections. He suggested that declaring an inability to govern due to presidential obstruction and seeking a stronger mandate could become a defining electoral demand capable of energizing the coalition’s base.
He noted that such a move could lead to a more favorable outcome for the administration while simultaneously presenting a strategic challenge for the president, since a veto could be overridden. In Kwaśniewski’s view, Andrzej Duda would then have fewer tools at his disposal.
Asked whether the ruling coalition should pursue early elections, Kwaśniewski replied that if the obstacle is so formidable that the president would veto the most important measures by definition, a political solution of this kind might be the only viable option. He also pointed out that, despite recent months, the government has not seen a significant drop in support among its backers.
The former president emphasized that the actions of Donald Tusk’s coalition, which many who do not sympathize with PiS still consider illegal, are broadly supported by the voters who form the current governing parties’ electorate.
Kwaśniewski suggested that if a televised appearance aligns with voter expectations, it would satisfy those who support the government. If Kamiński and Wąsik were to appear less prominently, that too would be in line with voter expectations. He warned that those in power did not discourage their own voters, and cautioned that within a year or two, circumstances might change as certain voter expectations prove unattainable.
He added that the fate of figures like Wąsik and Mariusz Kamiński could provoke further debate about pardons, should President Duda choose to exercise clemency again. Some observers might argue that a presidential admission of error could justify another pardon as a means to shield honest individuals. This would be presented as a straightforward solution, potentially ending the issue for now, though it could lead to renewed political maneuvering. In this scenario, the pardoned individuals would regain freedom, but their mandates might be forfeited, with another election looming in the near future at the local level and then at the European Parliament level.
Kwaśniewski argued that the prospect of early elections could enable Donald Tusk’s coalition to secure a parliamentary majority capable of overriding a presidential veto. However, he also noted the ongoing protests across Poland in response to what many perceive as illegal government actions, suggesting that public opinion may be unsettled. The influx of social groups feeling misled by the coalition could intensify, with teachers already expressing disappointment in the current political trajectory.
tkwl/PAP/wprost.pl
Source: wPolityce