Council of Europe: too early to comment on plans to recount election votes in Poland

Grzegorz Schetyna has met with the representatives of the Council of Europe, including the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
Council of Europe says it's too early to comment on Polish elections
Źródło: TVN24 News in English

It's too early for the Council of Europe to comment on the request for election votes recount in Poland - a spokesperson for the Council of Europe, Panos Kakaviatos told journalists after the meeting between Civic Platform chairman Grzegorz Schetyna and top representatives of the Council.

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"We're open to any requests from all member-states of the Council of Europe, regarding help in such cases. It's too early for any comments on the Council's part. It's good that this meeting was held, because it means that there is cooperation between the member-states and the organisation (the CoE)," said the spokesman.

He didn't say whether or nor the Council of Europe plans to take any action on this matter. "I can't comment on that, it's too early," he stressed.

Schetyna's visit

Schetyna met on that day in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, among others, with the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Representatives of the CoE were surprised by plans of partial vote recount and protests submitted by Poland's ruling party - the chairman of Civic Platform Grzegorz Schetyna said after the meetings.

"We were asked about the issue and we provided reliable information. For certain, as the senator said (Aleksander Pociej who went to Strasbourg with Schetyna), the visit of CoE rapporteurs will happen sooner." Schetyna added. He also argued that part of their report will cover this year's campaign ahead parliamentary elections, the vote itself and the situation that followed.

Natural interest

Senator Pociej, who was also present during the talks, said that the CoE's interest in the situation in Poland is all the more natural, as since four years back a report on the condition of the rule law in Poland is being written. "Of course the last elections, its transparency, and possibly what will happen after the vote, the votes recount, is naturally within the interests of the Council of Europe," said Pociej.

He stressed that two rapporteurs, a Dutch man and a Swedish woman, are working on the report on the rule of law in Poland. "We were told that the CoE would be interested also in this scope, to send them (the rapporteurs) to Poland once more, to check the transparency and procedures of votes recount," Pociej said.

Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP

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