NIK negatively assesses process of preparing so-called postal elections
The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) negatively assessed the process of preparing the so-called postal elections for the president of the Republic of Poland.
"In the period from April 16, that is from the moment of signing the decision on the elections by Prime Minister, to May 9, the only entity authorized to organize and prepare elections for the President of the Republic of Poland was the National Electoral Commission. The organization and preparation of elections on the basis of an administrative decision should not take place and be deprived of legal grounds," Marian Banaś, NIK President, said.
Banaś said that the inspection was carried out at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Interior and Administration, MAP, and two companies of the State Treasury – Poczta Polska (Polish Post) and Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (Polish Security Printing Works). It covered the period from February to October 2020.
Meanwhile, the CIR stated that all decisions to start technical preparations for postal voting in the presidential elections that were to take place on May 10 last year were legal, and the prime minister and the head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister stood guard over the constitution. It also attached six legal opinions.
In the evening, the presidium of the Law and Justice political committee began. The leadership of the ruling party was to plan the presentation of the New Polish Deal and decide on penalties for MPs who voted against the ratification of the Reconstruction Fund. The subject of the conversation will certainly also be the Supreme Audit Office's report. Journalists asked Deputy Marshal Ryszard Terlecki about the report just before entering the PiS headquarters.
"This is a kind of embarrassment. The Supreme Audit Office cannot rely on some opposition newspapers. It is a situation in which the state authorities had to make decisions related to the observance of the constitution, democracy, and at the same time the pandemic that was growing at that time. It required extraordinary actions," he said.
When asked why the government did not introduce a state of emergency at that time, the politician appealed not to return to it.
