New speaker bans sale of alcohol in Poland’s parliament

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

In one of his first acts after being elected, the new speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, has banned the sale of alcohol in parliamentary buildings.

His decision comes after recent controversies relating to MPs being under the influence of alcohol, and also as parliament prepares to discuss a proposed law introducing a nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol at night.

Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who was chosen by the Sejm as its new speaker on Tuesday, said that parliament needed to “set an example” if it was going to potentially introduce restrictions on public access to alcohol.

He said that the ban would apply to the sale of alcoholic beverages in all buildings and areas managed by the chancellery of the Sejm.

That includes accommodation used by many MPs when they stay in Warsaw for parliamentary sessions, and where alcohol is currently sold.

In August, reports emerged that there had been a confrontation between MPs from the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party and members of the more liberal ruling coalition at the parliamentary hotel as PiS MPs celebrated the inauguration of PiS-aligned President Karol Nawrocki at the restaurant there.

Accounts differ as to what exactly happened and who was at fault, but the trouble reportedly broke out after PiS MPs had consumed alcohol and sung songs directed at their opponents.

Previously, in April, another similar clash reportedly took place between a PiS MP and a senator from the ruling coalition.

In February, an MP from the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party was expelled from the Sejm for being drunk. He later apologised and admitted he was fighting a losing battle with alcoholism.

Last month, broadcaster TVN reported that the MPs’ bar had until recently had some of the lowest prices for alcohol in Warsaw. They were subsequently raised, but remain below the level in comparable private establishments.

“It’s bizarre that the cheapest vodka in a bar in the centre of Warsaw can be found in the Sejm building,” said Maciej Konieczny, an MP from the left-wing Together (Razem). “Alcohol shouldn’t be there at all.”

A poll conducted last month by the Opinia24 agency for TVN found that the vast majority of Poles agree: 81% said they support a complete ban on alcohol sales in Sejm buildings.

The former speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, proposed the idea of breathalyser tests for MP but stopped short of banning the sale of alcohol. “If someone wants a drink, they’ll find a way,” he said. “I’m not a kindergarten teacher for MPs.”

However, under the terms of the coalition agreement that brought Poland’s current government to power, Hołownia stepped down last week and was replaced this week by Czarzasty, who has immediately moved to ban sales. The measure goes into effect on 25 November.

His decision was criticised by PiS MP and former government minister Michał Wójcik, who told Wirtualna Polska that “the speaker has attacked all members of parliament; he’s made them look like alcoholics”.

“This undermines the authority of the Sejm,” he added. “If someone wants to buy alcohol, they’re probably adults, so they’ll go out and buy it.”

In September, The Left (Lewica) – one of the members of the ruling coalition – proposed a law that would introduce a nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol in shops at night and in petrol stations at all times of day, as well as prohibiting all forms of alcohol advertising. Czarzasty is one of the leaders of The Left.

Shortly afterwards, the centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), the party led by Hołownia and another member of the ruling coalition, tabled its own bill to introduce similar restrictions. Both bills are still being processed by parliament.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Piotr Molęcki/Kancelaria Sejmu (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Daniel Tilles

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.