Logo Polskiego Radia

Ruling party vaunts successes a year after election, critics vocal

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 25.10.2016 16:58
MPs from Poland’s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have highlighted its successes a year after it swept to power, while opposition leaders slammed what they called a “government of failure”.
PM Beata Szydło: Photo: PAP/Radek PietruszkaPM Beata Szydło: Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

At a press conference on Tuesday marking one year since the general election when Law and Justice won a parliamentary majority, PiS MPs Łukasz Schreiber and Michał Dworczyk said PM Beata Szydło's government has introduced major social and financial improvements.

Schreiber said that the flagship “500+” and “Home+” programmes – to give Polish families a PLN 500 monthly payment for the second child onwards and to provide cheap housing – were successes of the government.

He added that other programmes providing free drugs to senior citizens, as well as raising the minimum wage, and lowering taxes for small businesses, were also feathers in the cap of the government.

Dworczyk added that over the past year, PiS has improved Poland’s security. “The NATO summit was an extraordinary success. As a result, allied troops – mostly American – will be stationed in Poland,” he said, adding that defence spending has increased.

A ‘government of failure’

Schreiber said that despite this, the opposition, particularly the Civic Platform (PO) party, which was ousted in the 25 October general election, complains that not enough has been done.

“We have become accustomed to the fact that the opposition criticises everything,” Schreiber said.

In a separate press conference on Tuesday, PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna described the government as a “government of failure”.

“This has been a lost year... This is a government that has a policy of hatred... and struggling with authorities,” Schetyna said, referring to an ongoing stalemate between PiS and the Constitutional Tribunal.

Schetyna also mentioned animosity between the government and former Solidarity leader and ex-president Lech Wałęsa, and voiced concerns over the independence of the judiciary and the "freedom of women”.

(rg/pk)

tags: politics
Print
Copyright © Polskie Radio S.A About Us Contact Us