AWS proposes amendments to campaign rules for presidential election

Several Solidarity Election Action (AWS) senators have proposed an amendment to campaign regulations in the forthcoming presidential election. Under the proposed changes, in a situation where elections could not be held in due time the duties of the president would be taken over by the Sejm speaker (now an AWS member). Also, the free airtime to which each candidate is entitled would be limited. AWS proposed that in the case of candidates whose job already entitles them to airtime, the limit would be lower. For example, the president or the prime minister would be allowed less free airtime than other candidates when making a speech on TV. This proposal was strongly opposed by Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) who said it is aimed against President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "Such regulation is necessary. We have to avoid a situation similar to the one in Nicaragua where each candidate was allotted two hours of air-time but in fact President Ortega had 52 hours as he almost never left the screen," said Zbigniew Romaszewski, one of the senators. The Senate will vote on amendments today. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 4) J.K.