Monday is the fourth consecutive day of the protests which were sparked by an opposition MP being excluded from parliamentary debate and a subsequent disputed passing of the 2017 budget.
Michał Szczerba, a deputy for the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party, was excluded from debate by the Speaker of the lower house, Marek Kuchciński after he spoke out about planned new rules on journalists’ access to parliament.
Under the plans, most journalists would not be given access to the main parliament building, instead being restricted to a separate building some distance away to conduct interviews.
As a result, opposition MPs stormed the rostrum, bringing the debate to a close. Following several hours of recess, deputies from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party convened in an ancillary hall and passed next year’s budget.
Opposition MPs have said that the vote, carried out by a raising of hands, was illegal, and should be repeated. PiS MPs insisted the ballot was legal.
Protests continue
Several dozen MPs have staged a sit-in in the plenary hall of parliament while the anti-government Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) movement organised protests on the streets.
KOD announced on its website that Monday would see further demonstrations, this time outside the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party's offices across the country, and that rallies outside parliament would continue on Tuesday.
President mediates
President Andrzej Duda, following on his promise to mediate, met with the Speaker and with PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński on Monday, after having spoken with leaders of opposition parties on Sunday.
"I watched [Friday's] events in the Polish Sejm with concern and anxiety,” Duda wrote in a statement published some 24 hours after opposition MPs blocked the parliament’s rostrum on Friday.
“I would like to appeal to all sides of the political spectrum to calm tensions, so that the parliament's work takes place smoothly, in a civilised manner and with due seriousness – in line with the principles of parliamentary democracy,” Duda wrote.
According to presidential spokesman Marek Magierowski, Duda has requested an analysis into the legality of the part of Friday's parliamentary session that was held in the ancillary hall.
However, PiS spokeswoman Beata Mazurek was quoted by the PAP news agency as saying that there is “no legal basis to repeat either the parliamentary sitting or the vote”. (vb/pk)
Source: PAP