WARSAW (Reuters) – The Polish parliament passed a law on Wednesday that will allow a national referendum to be held on the same day as parliamentary elections that are scheduled for Oct. 15.
The ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) want Poles to answer four questions, in what some analysts view as a bid to mobilize the core electorate for an election they say is the most important since the fall of communism in 1989.
Poles will vote on whether they support the privatization of state companies; a higher retirement age; the dismantling of the fence on the border with Belarus and accepting thousands of migrants under a migration deal with the European Union.
PiS says that the main opposition party, the liberal Civic Platform (PO), which is led by Former European Council President Donald Tusk, is subservient to foreign interests, particularly those of Germany.
Germans want to embed Tusk in Poland to sell off common property, ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said earlier this week.
PO rejects such criticism, and accuses the government of awarding well-paid roles in state-owned firms to people as a way of rewarding them for their support.
The parliament needs to formally approve the referendum questions and will vote on Thursday.
(Reporting by Marek Strzelecki and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
