Senate voted against President's referendum regarding the Constitution

According to the Constitution, the President may organize a nationwide referendum after an approval from the Senate.

The majority required to pass the resolution on Wednesday's session was 47 senators.

Ten senators were in favour of the resolution, 30 were against and 52 abstained.

President's aide, Paweł Mucha said after the vote: "I regret that the Polish people won't get a chance to voice their opinion regarding the Constitution in November. We will examine this situation".

The Speaker of the Senate Stanisław Karczewski said: "none of Law and Justice senators voted against President's resolution. There was no party discipline in this vote. Personally, I've abstained. My decision wasn't an easy one".

President Duda proposed that Poles hold a constitutional referendum in November with 10 questions including on whether to enshrine Poland's EU and NATO membership in the charter, or highlight the country's Catholic identity.

Duda announced plans to hold the referendum during last year's anniversary observations of Poland's May 3 1791 constitution, known as the May 3 Constitution. Duda suggested 2018, the year of Poland's independence centenary, as the referendum year.

Earlier this month, Duda and Senate (upper house) Speaker Stanisław Karczewski agreed that the president's referendum motion will be read at the house's last July sitting. Last week, Karczewski told PAP that the Senate will vote on the motion on July 24 in the evening or on the morning of the following day.

"In consideration of legally binding procedures and in keeping with formal requirements, I intend to file to the Senate a draft motion for a referendum with the purpose of its passage by the Senate at the earliest possible date," Duda said last week adding that he hopes for the act's speedy passage through the house.

1. Are you for the passage of a new constitution, amending the currently-binding constitution of April 2 1997, or for leaving the constitution unchanged?

2. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of the obligation to hold a national referendum if motioned for by at least one million citizens, and for the results of such a referendum to be binding at a turnout of at least 30 percent of the voting population?

3. Are you for a presidential system, i.e. the constitutional strengthening of the position and powers of the president elected by the people, for a cabinet system, i.e. the constitutional strengthening of the position and powers of the Council of Ministers and the prime minister with the president elected by a National Assembly, or upholding the present model of executive government?

4. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of elections to the Polish Sejm (lower house) in single-seat constituencies (majority system), multi-seat constituencies (proportional system) or a combination of both (mixed system)?

5. Are you for the anchoring in the Polish Constitution of the Christian roots of Polish statehood, culture, and national identity?

6. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of Poland's EU and NATO membership in observance of the sovereignty of the state and the overriding importance of the Polish Constitution as the supreme legal act?

7. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of protective measures over Polish agriculture and food safety?

8. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of protective measures over the family, motherhood and fatherhood, the inviolability of acquired family rights (like the 500 Plus benefit) and the inviolability of the rights of pregnant women, children, the disabled and the aged to special medical care?

9. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of special protective measures over work as the fundament of social market economy and the right to retirement acquired at the legally determined age (60 for women, 65 for men)?

10. Are you for the constitutional anchoring of the division of territorial government into communes, counties and provinces?

Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, Reuters, PAP