Chairman of junior coalition member Agreement, former deputy PM Jarosław Gowin, announced on Thursday his faction would seek cross-party support for the plan to extend president's term up to seven years, which would keep incumbent Andrzej Duda in office until 2022. As a constitutional change, this would require opposition backing to secure the necessary two-thirds approval. In the meantime, citizens' bill tightening abortion laws has been sent to parliamentary commission for detailed analysis.
Members of Poland's governing coalition on Thursday sought opposition support for a two-year extension of the president's term because of the difficulty of holding an election next month under coronavirus restrictions.
Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party had advocated holding a postal ballot for the May 10 election, but late on Wednesday unexpectedly presented a bill to keep President Andrzej Duda in office for now.
As a constitutional change, this would require opposition backing to secure the necessary two-thirds approval.
PiS's junior coalition partner Agreement had lobbied for the change and the party's chairman Jarosław Gowin had quit as a deputy prime minister over the issue.
"At this moment this is the best solution to the dilemma facing our country," Gowin told reporters.
"We are going to persuade all lawmakers that the historical moment and the huge scale of responsibility held by politicians ... requires us to rise above individual interests."
Jan Grabiec, a spokesman for the main opposition party, the centrist Civic Platform, said Duda could be kept in office without such a drastic measure.
"We believe that in the constitution there are (already) means of postponing the elections," he said. "A state of emergency extends the president's term."
Separately, parliament opted to kick a citizens' bill proposing a contentious toughening of Poland's already tight rules on abortion down the road by sending it to a parliamentary commission for study.
The issue of abortion has in the past brought thousands of women on to the streets. Activists had argued that it would be undemocratic to pass the bill - which they say would have outlawed 98% of the abortions still taking place in Poland - when coronavirus restrictions made mass protest impossible.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was also expected on Thursday to announce an easing of its coronavirus lockdown.
In March, Poland closed its borders, schools and other public places and forbade people to leave their homes except for pressing reasons. It has so far recorded 7,771 coronavirus infections and 292 deaths.
"Final decisions will be taken today. I think that first, starting from Monday, we can expect an opening of forests, green areas," Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin told the private radio station RMF.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters