Polish parliamentary speaker survives ‘no confidence’ vote
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
05.09.2016 16:25
Polish parliamentary speaker Marek Kuchciński has survived a vote of no confidence on Monday put forward by opposition politicians.
Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchciński. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
A total of 234 MPs voted against the move to strip Kuchciński of his duties, with 169 voting in favour. Twenty-eight MPs abstained from voting.
The motion for the resignation of Marek Kuchciński from his position as speaker was filed by the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party at the end of July.
Kuchciński is also an MP of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party.
“Kuchciński has become the guardian of the singular power that is Jarosław Kaczyński, tweeted PO MP Michał Szczerba ahead of the voting on Monday.
Kaczyński is the head of the PiS party and takes a leading role in the country, despite not having an official government title.
“PO has no moral right to submit a request for the dismissal of the Speaker Marek Kuchciński,” Kaczyński said in a speech ahead of the vote on Monday, adding that the opposition party allowed for breaches of the Rules of Parliament and parliamentary rights.
In his speech, Kaczyński asked who PO wanted to remove: Kuchciński or himself, adding that a previous speech by a PO MP “indicated that it was me”. (rg)