There are several reasons this could reduce the chances of the current governing bloc winning local elections, said Krzysztof Paszyk, head of the PSL-TR club, in an interview with PAP about the prospective joint start of the election coalition on October 15 among KO, Trzecia Droga, and Lewica for local polls.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed a desire to approach local elections with a united front, effectively a coalition on October 15 comprising KO, Trzecia Droga, and Left. He also stressed that he would not force any coalition partner to go in a particular direction.
Asked about the possibility of a joint start in the October 15 local elections, Paszyk suggested that such a move could, in his view, strengthen the ruling majority’s position in the local race rather than dilute it. He explained that if there are districts where the four current governing parties lack seats, a joint run would not be a viable or efficient solution.
He added that in districts where cooperation looks unlikely to yield seats, a single unified bid would not be an effective approach for representing the current majority on the regional council.
When asked about the idea of including Poland 2050 within the Third Way framework, Paszyk noted that the PSL Supreme Council had already reaffirmed, on December 15 last year, the stance expressed by PSL-TD club president and party leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. He recalled an earlier message from Poland 2050 leader Szymon Hołownia that the Third Way coalition project would be pursued, and stated that nothing had changed on that topic.
Hołownia’s stance
During a Thursday press conference, Szymon Hołownia, leader of Poland 2050 and Marshal of the Sejm, commented on the coalition’s formula for participating in spring elections, noting that the configuration used in the October parliamentary elections had worked well. He suggested applying the same approach to local government elections as the Third Way.
As for the timing of local elections, Tusk indicated on Wednesday that April 7 appeared to be the most probable date. The Electoral Act requires local elections to occur within the window from March 31 to April 23, 2024.
In the previous parliamentary elections, Poland 2050 and Szymon Hołownia’s Polish People’s Party operated as part of the Trzecia Droga coalition, which secured about 14.4 percent of the votes and 65 seats in Parliament.
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