Poland’s ruling party wants a referendum on the sell-off of state assets
Poland’s ruling party leader said Friday that Polish voters will be asked to decide whether they support the sell-off of state-owned enterprises in a referendum, saying it would be about “whether the wealth of generations will remain in Polish hands”, AP reports.
The conservative ruling party has for some time expressed a wish to hold a referendum on the highly emotional topic of migration alongside the fall’s parliamentary elections, which the president scheduled this week for Oct. 15.
Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Friday that the party now plans more than one referendum question. In his new video, Kaczynski said the referendum was aimed at putting decisions in the hands of Poles.
“For us, the voice of normal Poles is decisive. The voice of foreign politicians, including Germans, is of no importance, that is why in key issues we want to appeal to you directly, in a referendum,” Kaczynski said.
“You decide whether the wealth of generations will remain in Polish hands,” he said.
Opposition politicians took to social media to denounce the referendum as hypocrisy. Some noted that the ruling party, known by its Polish initials PiS, has itself sold of state assets, including the state oil company Lotos, on terms viewed as unfavorable to Poland.
