The district electoral commission in Rzeszów did not register the Third Way candidate for the Senate in the district covering Nizhny and Stalowa Wola counties in Podkarpacie. The refusal came because the campaign did not include the signature of the commission’s plenipotentiary on the nomination documents. Initially Małgorzata Zych was named as the Third Way candidate for this constituency, but the decision by the signatories of the Senate Pact removed her candidacy from the list. Media reports indicate that Paweł Bartoszek, a local government official and social worker, could take the place of Zych.
Why did the Rzeszów OKW fail to register the Third Way candidate for the Senate?
On Friday, the Rzeszów OKW published a resolution stating that the coalition proposed a candidate on September 6 of the current year, by a person authorized by the electoral representative of the Third Way Commission.
The Electoral Commission’s reasoning notes that a candidate is nominated in writing by the election lawyer or by a person authorized by the lawyer in accordance with the Electoral Code.
If the nomination is submitted by a proxy, the authorization document must be attached to the application, showing the proxy’s details and confirming the authorization, as the justification states.
The OKW added that the authorization must be dated and bear the handwritten signature of the electoral representative, as required by law.
The submission to the district electoral commission in Rzeszów did not include the handwritten signature of the electoral representative, according to the OKW’s resolution.
The OKW further noted that electronic signatures are not provided for in the Election Code for notices submitted to district election commissions.
<pConsequently, the authorization presented to the commission must bear the electoral representative’s signature and be delivered in its original form to the district electoral commission in Rzeszów, as the resolution explains.
<pThere is no candidate name listed in the OKW resolution.
READ ALSO: Who will replace Małgorzata Zych on the Third Way Senate lists Kosiniak Kamysz clarifies the process points to a local government official
Małgorzata Zych, Putin and the Lost Endorsement
Originally Małgorzata Zych was the Third Way candidate for District 54. However, due to the decision by the Senate Pact signatories, she lost the endorsement. Reports suggest that Paweł Bartoszek, a local government official and social worker, would replace her.
Zych posted a message on the X platform about the Rzeszów OKW resolution, explaining that after being removed from the PactSenacki lists the party could not register her replacement and that justice had been done.
In the 2019 elections Zych ran outside the Confederation’s list and led the Confederation Club in Tarnobrzeg until recently. She collaborated closely with Grzegorz Braun, a Confederation MP, and helped organize the conference Stop Ukrainization of Poland in Tarnobrzeg.
Last week at the Poles of the Future Campus in Olsztyn, PSL President Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz was asked why some people who would not openly condemn Putin remained on the democratic opposition lists. Kosiniak Kamysz replied that if Zych did not issue a clear condemnation of Vladimir Putin for actions in Ukraine, she would not be a candidate. Zych later issued a statement denouncing Putin as a war criminal, and she said that the decision to drop her endorsement was not aligned with the values of a democratic state governed by law and Christian principles. She argued that the International Criminal Court judgment on deportation of children from occupied Ukraine to Russia had not yet been adopted.
READ ALSO: An incredible gesture Małgorzata Zych apologizes to Vladimir Putin for calling him a war criminal
News headlines at the time included rumors about who would replace Zych on the Senate lists and discussions about the political alignment of the Democratic opposition, with various outlets reporting on the broader consequences of the endorsement changes. A further note indicated that Zych would not appear on any of the Pact lists following the unanimous decision of the signatories. The discussion about her role drew attention from party officials and regional observers alike, highlighting the tensions that can arise during pact negotiations and candidate selections across Poland.
Source: wPolityce