At 12:00 PM, a press briefing will take place in front of the Sejm, during which the leader of the Poland 2050 movement, Szymon Hołownia, will initiate a citizen protest regarding the salary increases for parliamentarians and party subsidies, and will announce the commencement of work by the Poland 2050 movement on a citizen legislative initiative on this matter.

The Senate will resume its proceedings at 4:00 PM. At present, it is unknown whether senators will address the so-called "salary increase bill" during this session. According to media announcements, the Civic Coalition's senatorial club will convene on this matter before the session begins.

- I regret that we are no longer playing the role we once did in the European Union, due to the foolish foreign policy we have pursued in recent years. Because we used to be a major player, we were one of the key architects of the European Union's Eastern policy. Today, after all these pouts, sulks, insults, learning to eat with a fork, and being voted down 27-1, we are somewhere on the sidelines of this process – said Szymon Hołownia in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on the program 'Graffiti' on Polsat News.

- If I were in the Sejm today, I would vote against this idiotic law. Prepared so hastily, at a time when Poland's GDP is falling by eight percentage points - said Szymon Hołownia in Polsat News.

- They were manipulated by Kaczyński like children. Simply put. It's obvious he deliberately drew them into this mess. They now have, I'm talking about the so-called opposition, the biggest image crisis since the dawn of time, and it won't diminish through the Senate at all - said Szymon Hołownia on Polsat News.

„I would certainly not recommend such a decision [to support the raises]. In the last term, when I was the chairman, there was a similar proposal. Perhaps less brazen and on a scale that we saw on Friday, because this proposal was enormous, it's close to 60%, but there was a proposal for raises for parliamentarians, and then I very clearly stated and recommended to the board that we cannot agree to this raise, and the matter fell through, it was withdrawn by the proposers” - said Grzegorz Schetyna from Civic Coalition in an interview with Krzysztof Skórzyński on "One on One" on TVN24. 

„Kaczyński’s goal today [is to break up the opposition]. Anyone who fits into this scenario, negotiates with Kaczyński, Terlecki, PiS politicians, and this matter also concerns exorbitant pay rises for parliamentarians, is a political suicide. We saw this on Thursday night into Friday and on Friday. I am astonished that we weren't able to react to this in a rational, logical, and honest way” - said Grzegorz Schetyna from Civic Coalition on TVN24. 

„The decision and conduct of senators today will be very important. I deeply believe that they will behave decently, that they will reject this bill in the first reading in the Senate, that within a matter of hours it will simply cease to exist, and that we will be able to say 'the matter is closed,' 'we will never make such a mistake again'” - Grzegorz Schetyna of Civic Coalition said on TVN24. 

- Here it must be said that the bill that came from the regulations committee, supported by all clubs, and which is now being processed in the Senate, systematically regulates the remuneration of local government officials and the most important persons in the state, and creates such a transparent system where the separation of powers is treated in the same way regarding salaries, meaning the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, these solutions are currently similar and transparent - stated Michał Dworczyk in TVP1's "Political Quarter of an Hour".

- Citizens are our employers, and it is the opinion of citizens that we should primarily consider. On Friday, when we made decisions regarding the comprehensive regulation of the difficult salary matters of those holding the most important state positions, we were guided by common sense, but above all by the desire for a comprehensive settlement of these issues and to link remuneration to the average salary in the country. As can be seen, these solutions were absolutely not to the liking of public opinion. Poles have clearly stated that now is not the time to regulate this matter. I emphasize once again that the opinion of citizens is most important to us. Therefore, throughout the weekend, I held consultations, listened to the voices of those expressing their negative opinions, and spoke with other opposition party leaders, and today I will recommend that the Civic Coalition senators adopt a motion to reject this bill in its entirety - stated Borys Budka at a press briefing in the Sejm.

The Ministry of Health has announced new data regarding the coronavirus pandemic in Poland.

According to the latest report, 595 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been confirmed. Sadly, 8 individuals have succumbed to the virus.

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“We are in constant contact with our coalition partners from the democratic majority in the Senate. Senators are not blind and deaf to public opinion. It must also be said that it is a fact that Poland is a country of low wages – both for its people and for its parliamentarians. As people responsible to our voters, to those who have placed their trust in us, we must remember that the issue of better wages for citizens must be addressed first, and only then, if the opportunity arises, can we consider wages in parliament. This cannot be done quickly” – said the Marshal of the Senate, Tomasz Grodzki, at a press conference.

„I will propose at the club meeting this afternoon, I will submit for discussion a draft that I will also present to political leaders in the Sejm, to establish a parliamentary team, several senators, several deputies, to develop a comprehensive program for regulating salaries in the broadly understood public sector, as was the case in the often-mentioned Second Polish Republic” - said the Marshal of the Senate, Tomasz Grodzki, at a press conference.

- Today, we at the Poland 2050 movement are launching a civic action. We invite everyone to the website listdoposla.pl, where you will be able to find two document templates. The first is a letter to an MP who voted for this idiotic law. The second is a letter to an MP, and there were about thirty-something of them, who voted against it, who had the courage to stand up to their own political faction. They deserve our recognition, respect, and gratitude - said Szymon Hołownia during a press conference.

„On behalf of the Left club and its authorities, I would like to apologize. Mistakes must be apologized for. Stupidity must also be apologized for. We are wise when we are wise with the wisdom of our voters, as well as our three coalition parties. We are in this club together, and I want to emphasize once again that over this period, over the weekend, we have understood a lot. We apologize and we are glad that there is such a legislative process in Poland that allows mistakes to be corrected” – said the Left's spokesperson Anna Maria Żukowska at a press conference.


„Our lawmakers, the creators of the constitution, demonstrated great wisdom by restoring the second chamber of parliament. I am very attached to the idea that the Senate is a chamber of reflection. Similarly, today the Senate will be a chamber of reflection. The Senate does not debate or process any law hastily. As a senator from the Left club, on behalf of myself and Senator Konieczny, I will submit a motion to reject this bill in its entirety” – added Deputy Marshal Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka.

- I will always be a supporter and defender of media pluralism. However, as a citizen, internet user, and historian, I would like to voice my opinion regarding the articles published on the anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw on the Onet portal and in the Newsweek Polska weekly. I am referring to the texts: "What Poles are doing cannot be told. A Red Army doctor writes moving letters from the front to his wife" and "The truth about the fate of Soviet prisoners of war from the 1920 war. Hell behind barbed wire." - Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook.

- Their context poses a significant threat to unaware recipients. There can be no agreement on re-evaluating roles in conflict, selective, ahistorical treatment of certain facts, and equating the suffering of defenders with aggressors. The truth lies in all our interests. It is not particular but entirely universal. We should all defend it. Therefore, I have sent a letter to the President of RASP Polska, which I am publishing below. I invite you to read, comment, and of course, share - emphasized PM Morawiecki.

- Today marks the end of my 944 days of work at the Ministry of Health. The decision was postponed several times, but thanks to that, it was also well-considered. When I came to Miodowa Street, I had many concerns about whether I could handle the tasks entrusted to me. I leave the overall assessment to others, but I am satisfied with a few things - wrote Deputy Minister of Health Janusz Cieszyński on Facebook.

In an evening voting session, the Senate rejected a bill that proposed salary increases for politicians at all levels: local government, parliamentary, governmental, and presidential.

Forty-eight senators voted for rejection, and forty-five voted against. No one abstained. The legislation will now return to the Sejm, which will convene for its next session after the summer recess, in mid-September. 

PMM: Rozmawiałem telefonicznie z Cichanouską. Zapewniłem, że Białorusini mają pełne wsparcie Polski - zarówno w swoim dążeniu do wolności ojczyzny, jak i codziennym życiu w Polsce

- We have been discussing and debating this topic for many years. We made a 'manly decision' to change it, to do it. We agreed with the opposition. Please look at the voting results in the Sejm. Everyone voted in favor. But unfortunately, two days changed the moods - said Stanisław Karczewski in an interview with Dorota Gawryluk on the program 'Gość Wydarzeń' on Polsat News.

- Donald Tusk told his senators to vote differently. It was his tweet that initiated the debate, discussion, and criticism of this legal solution - added the former Marshal of the Senate.

“This shows the hypocrisy of our colleagues from the opposition. In fact, they were proponents of this idea, and such a solution would only make sense if it were implemented with cross-party consensus” - said Radosław Fogiel, Deputy Spokesperson for Law and Justice (PiS), on TVP Info's "Gość Wiadomości" program.

- Opinions are divided. I understand the opinions, of course, and I also understand the social sentiment, although I must say that during my meetings with voters, I was also at a meeting in a small town today, where we opened a new, beautifully built road, and this topic was also discussed. 'It's good you're raising them, because everyone in Poland should earn well. You can't limit good earnings only to private companies somewhere' – said Stanisław Karczewski in Polsat News.

“This happened [the rejection of the bill] as a result of a vote in which the majority voted against this bill. I wanted to clarify that the initiators of raising this topic were the opposition. We agreed to it. We held talks on this subject for several days. It was the opposition that wanted us to do it now, in mid-August, to avoid dragging the matter into September. It was the opposition that wanted to add a few more elements to this bill to improve the situation of MPs and Senators – a thirteenth salary, etc.” – said the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki from PiS at a press conference in the Senate.

„The talks went like this: either the clubs will jointly come up with such an initiative and it will be accepted by everyone, or there's no point in dealing with it” – said the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm, Ryszard Terlecki from PiS, at a press conference in the Senate.

„Under the influence of external voices, it seems Mr. Tusk's or perhaps others', within two days [the opposition] changed their minds and today started to back away from it, deceiving public opinion that they had nothing to do with it or that it was some coincidence that it happened in the Sejm” – he added.

„What happened, happened. This project's story ends with what occurred today in the Senate” – said Terlecki.

- I will definitely not join this commission. I do not believe the Marshal. He has let us down. There were different arrangements, so I will not talk to people who lie, to people who mislead, and I will certainly not join such a commission - said Stanisław Karczewski in Polsat News.