Posters of a Law and Justice MP from our region have appeared on poles in Bolesławiec. The posters feature the MP’s full name in huge lettering, photographs of his face and figure, and information that he is a member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. The address of his parliamentary office and an invitation to make contact were added in smaller print. The whole thing resembles an election poster, but formally it is not one. The election campaign has not officially begun yet, so it cannot be conducted.
Article 104 of the Electoral Code (Date of commencement and conclusion of the election campaign) reads: The election campaign begins on the day the act of the relevant authority ordering the election is announced and ends 24 hours before election day.
As the example of the Law and Justice MP shows, the law can be circumvented. By encouraging people to contact the parliamentary office, it is possible to promote primarily the MP’s full name and image (they occupy almost two-thirds of the poster).
“It is a shame he did not do this earlier during his term, but only toward the end,” briefly commented MP Piotr Borys of Civic Platform. Zofia Czernow of Civic Platform did not wish to comment on the actions of the Law and Justice MP.
The National Electoral Office has not yet responded to our question as to whether the PiS MP’s posters can be considered illegal conduct of an election campaign.