Valley vote

The government's plans for a bypass through the protected Rospuda valley in the Podlasie region suffered a setback last week after a local referendum on the issue was declared invalid due to insufficient voter turnout. Only 21.6 percent of those eligible took part in the referendum, but the law states that a turnout of at least 30 percent is required for the referendum to be valid.

The bypass has become a major bone of contention between the government and the European Union, which has declared Rospuda, one of Europe's largest peat bogs, a part of the EU's Natura 2000 network of conservation sites. The failure of the referendum is being viewed as a failure on the part of the Law and Justice-led (PiS) ruling coalition in the face of the EU.

However, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński refused to admit defeat. "It isn't good that we didn't hit the 30-percent mark, but if we treat the vote as an opinion poll, it demonstrates our success," Kaczyński said at a news conference. Some 90 percent of those who took part in the referendum expressed their support of the construction of the highway in response to the question whether the respondent was in favor of maintaining the route of the Augustów bypass in line with the outlined plans.

PiS had hoped the referendum would strengthen its case in its battle with the European Commission. In March, the EC asked the European Court of Justice to order Poland to discontinue construction of the 17.1-km bypass.

"It's a defeat, but a comfortable one because [the overwhelming response in favor of the bypass by those surveyed] saves face for Law and Justice in the face of the European Commission," said Waldemar Dziak, political science professor at the National Academy of Science. (Reuters)