Poland’s National Electoral Office (KBW) has awarded 53 million zloty (€11.7 million) of state compensation to the post office for the costs of preparing for May’s abandoned presidential election.
The government had pushed to hold an entirely postal vote due to the pandemic. However, a last-minute political deal saw it eventually scrap the idea, meaning that the election was declared void.
However, in the meantime – and before legislation authorising an all-postal vote had passed – the prime minister had already issued an order for the state-owned postal service to begin preparations. A recent court ruling found that he committed a “gross violation of the law” by doing so.
Leaked documents have previously revealed that the post office alone spent at least 70 million zloty (€15.4 million) on preparations for the election. In September, it confirmed that it was taking “legal steps to benefit from compensation”.
The application was made under the terms of legislation passed in August, known as the “Covid law”. It relates mainly to the functioning and regulation of healthcare during the pandemic, but also includes the possibility of compensation for entities that implemented the prime minister’s order to prepare for the May presidential elections.
The opposition sought in parliament to reject the amendment allowing such compensation to be paid, but it was pushed through with the votes of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and its allies.
In December, the government adopted a subsequent resolution granting the KBW funds from the state budget to cover such compensation, reports TVN24.
Today, the KBW informed the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that it has awarded 53.2 million zloty compensation to the post office. A further 17.1 million zloty requested by the post office was rejected.
Three million zloty was also awarded to another state entity, the Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW), which printed ballots for the abandoned election. The KBW rejected a request for a further 1 million zloty from PWPW.
The run-up to the planned election in May was fraught with chaos and controversy, as the Polish government pushed ahead with preparations for a fully postal vote before relevant legislation had been passed.
Many local authorities refused to cooperate, on the basis that doing so would be illegal. Speaking at the time, Piotr Moniuszko, chairman of the Free Trade Union of Postal Workers, called the preparations “wasted money” and questioned who would cover the costs.
However, the government argued that it had a legal and constitutional obligation to ensure that the election took place. It accused the opposition of deliberately delaying the necessary legislation.
Poland’s postal election enveloped in confusion as government pushes ahead before legislation passed
After a court in Warsaw ruled in September that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had violated the law and the constitution by ordering the post office to prepare for the elections, government spokesman Piotr Müller again defended their actions, pointing to the “unprecedented’ situation caused by the pandemic.
“[The prime minister] decided to hold the election…[using] the safest form of voting and within the deadline provided for by the constitution,” said Müller. Morawiecki has appealed against the ruling, reports Money.pl
In the autumn, the ruling party sought to pass a law that would give legal immunity to public officials who break or have already broken the law in order to tackle the pandemic. However, it failed to win the support of PiS’s junior coalition partner, United Poland (Solidarna Polska), and was withdrawn.
After the abandonment of May’s election, new ones were called for June and July. They were won by the PiS-backed incumbent, Andrzej Duda, who received a second five-year term in office.
Main image credit: Jakub Orzechowski / Agencja Gazeta
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
