The issue was raised during the March session of the Bolesławiec City Council by Mayor Piotr Roman: “I took part in a huge gathering of local government officials in Warsaw; according to journalists, there were 1,700 people in the hall. It was all about opposing the governing party’s idea of centralizing the state.”
The mayor criticized Law and Justice’s ideas concerning, among other things, the electoral system (“It is supposed to restore the dominance of political parties in local government. It would mean a return to the oligarchization of local government by the parties,” the mayor commented); abandoning single-member constituencies; allowing only party committees to stand in elections; introducing an electoral threshold at least at the provincial level; and term limits.
“All of this together is causing local government officials to organize nationwide. A nationwide protest committee has been formed. Perhaps there will be a major demonstration in Warsaw on 27 May. If it takes place, I will encourage everyone to participate in the event,” P. Roman continued. “There is also a proposal for all councils in Poland to adopt resolutions simultaneously, strongly opposing the restriction of local self-government.”
The official added that local government officials are outraged by party propaganda. “Local governments are portrayed as a network, a clique, a cabal, a racket, and so on. We do not agree to this,” Roman said. “The Mayor of Gliwice sent an official letter to the National Prosecutor’s Office, asking how many criminal proceedings are pending against local government officials. He received a reply that there is one preparatory proceeding. In 2,500 municipalities and more than 300 counties in Poland.”
What do you think about the planned changes to local government? Do you support the governing party’s ideas? Or would you prefer local committees to have a say in determining the future of municipalities and counties? We invite you to join the discussion.