Tomasz Grodzki from Civic Coalition (KO) has been put forward as candidate for the Marshal of the Senate - Civic Platform (PO) leader Grzegorz Schetyna informed on Friday after talks with the leaders of Polish People's Party (PSL) and Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). "It's a great honour on the one hand, and a huge responsibility on the other," Grodzki said.
At a joint press conference with PSL and SLD chiefs, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Włodzimierz Czarzasty respectively, Schetyna informed that Civic Platform-Civic Coalition (PO-KO), PSL and the Left have agreed the rules of cooperation in the Senate - the rules of appointing the Presidium and confirming that 51 senators is a majority that would be running Polish Senate in the coming term.
"On behalf of PO-KO, I will be recommending Professor Tomasz Grodzki as candidate for Marshal of the Senate. He an extraordinary figure, having huge political qualifications, factual, medical, as well as moral," Schetyna said.
"We have agreed upon this candidacy also because he was the first to report a political corruption attempt, that he is said to have been subjected after October 13 elections," PO chief added.
Bogdan Borusewicz has been tapped as the Civic Coalition's candidate for Deputy Senate Marshal, and Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka - as the Left's.
PSL chairman, Kosiniak-Kamysz, said that he would inform about his party's candidates for the Sejm and Senate presidia after the parliamentary club's session.
"We firmly stick to the standpoint that there should be a Law and Justice representative in the Senate Presidium," said SLD chairman Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
Tomasz Grodzki - who is he?
Tomasz Grodzki is a surgeon, he is a professor of medical sciences. He began his political career in Szczecin local government, he was a city councilor for three terms. In 2015, he won a senatorial ticket running on the Civic Platform list.
In October's elections, Grodzki was reelected running on Civic Coalition list in constituency number 97 - Szczecin. He won nearly 150.000 votes - more than 65 percent of all votes in that constituency.
After the elections, when it was already certain that PiS would not hold their majority in the Senate, Grodzki claimed that he had been approached with an offer to become health minister in PiS cabinet in exchange for "switching sides".
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24