Just in:
Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Fri, 29 Mar 2024 // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit //
HomeWorldPoland's parliament blocked by protesters as crisis escalates

Poland's parliament blocked by protesters as crisis escalates

By Pawel Sobczak and Karol Witenberg
| WARSAW

ADVERTISEMENT

WARSAW Protesters blocked all exits from the Polish parliament on Friday after the opposition said ruling party lawmakers illegally passed the budget for next year by moving the vote outside of the main chamber of parliament.

The protest marked the biggest political standoff in years in European Union member Poland and the sharpest escalation of the conflict between the opposition and the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party since it came to power in October last year.

The police attempted in the early hours of Saturday to remove protesters by grabbing them and pulling them aside, but later ceased in their efforts as new protesters arrived at the scene, a Reuters witness said.

The police also called on protesters blocking the parliament to disperse, saying on loudspeakers that they might otherwise use force.

“Everybody sees that PiS has crossed a certain line and nothing will be the same anymore,” Tomasz Siemoniak, deputy leader of the biggest opposition party Civic Platform told local media outside parliament.

The parliament was surrounded by hundreds of policemen, some of whom were carrying rubber bullet guns. Police reinforcements were arriving at the parliament as well.

The protesters chanted that lawmakers will remain blocked and called on the head of PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, to come out and face them.

It was unclear how many lawmakers and staffers were inside waiting for the exits to be unblocked. Some opposition lawmakers said they would spend the night in parliament.

Polish opposition parties accused PiS earlier on Friday of violating the constitution after Speaker Marek Kuchcinski moved a key vote on next year’s budget outside of the main chamber of parliament and blocked the media from recording the vote.

It was the first time since Poland’s transition from communism in 1989 that a sitting of the lower chamber of parliament was conducted outside of the main chamber.

“The ‘sitting’ was illegal. Period. This is a constitutional crisis,” Civic Platform head Grzegorz Schetyna said on social media.

Kuchcinski decided to transfer the sitting and the budget vote outside the main chamber after opposition lawmakers occupied the parliamentary podium protesting against a plan to curb media access and against Kuchcinski’s decision to exclude one lawmaker.Ruling party lawmakers said the transfer of the vote was legal and the vote itself was valid.

“What the opposition did was a scandal. And we were working,” said PiS lawmaker Jaroslaw Zielinski, who took part in the budget vote.

Opposition parties Civic Platform and Nowoczesna together with the PSL party said in a statement that the speaker has violated the constitution. Opposition lawmakers also said they had problems in accessing the budget vote.

The parties demanded that the parliament sitting be held once again next week.

Since coming to power last year, the nationalist-minded, eurosceptic PiS has tightened its control over public news media and state prosecution and moved to weaken the country’s highest court.

PiS is the first party since Poland’s transition to democracy to hold an outright majority in parliament.

(Writing Marcin Goettig; Editing by Mary Milliken)

-Reuters

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // Saudi Arabia Unveils Green Financing Tool to Achieve Net-Zero Goals // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World //