-- GOOGLE SHOWS SEARCH TRENDS FOR TOPICS RELATED TO LOCAL ELECTIONS.

-- THE PARTY "RAZEM" IS SEARCHED ALMOST AS OFTEN AS "PIS"; 60% OF ELECTION SEARCHES FOR CANDIDATES FROM MAZOWIA CONCERN PATRYK JAKI; HOW TO VOTE OUTSIDE YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE: https://trends.google.pl/trends/story/PL_cu_czpC6GUBAABUUM_en

-- PIOTR ZAREMBA WRITES IN "DZIENNIK" THAT PARADOXICALLY, THE TAPE SCANDAL MAY STRENGTHEN MORAWIECKI – KACZYŃSKI IS PUTTING EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT INTO HIS DEFENSE: “Paradoxically, however, this situation could even strengthen the endangered Morawiecki in the short term. Why? The PiS leader's support has become more fervent than ever because it was necessary to silence the grumblers within his own camp. If Kaczyński claims that Morawiecki contacted him even before the Smoleńsk tragedy, such a narrative is not easy to undo later. Moreover, a threatened camp must be cohesive. The leader has always liked to tolerate, even generate, cracks, ensuring no one became too strong. But he has concluded that this jeopardizes the camp's election chances. On top of that, he is putting an extraordinary amount of heart into the defense of the Prime Minister.”

-- MORAWIECKI PASSED THE CAMPAIGN TEST, THE PRIME MINISTER HAS BEGUN TO ACQUIRE A TEFLON COATING – ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “The local government campaign, in which the Prime Minister, symbolizing the 'good change,' was the focus of travels across the country, is perhaps the most important test. And he passed it. As a man presenting himself as the most zealous PiS member, speaking in the language of constant accountability of the previous administration. But also as an enlightened European financier who, from the heights of his business achievements, visits ordinary Poles. If there were doubts whether the hard-core electorate, mourning Szydło, would accept him, it turned out they did, albeit in a different way than 'our Beata.' The Prime Minister has begun to acquire a Teflon coating; commentator Grzegorz Sroczyński has already compared him to Donald Tusk.”

-- HE MADE THE VISHEGRAD GROUP A MORE REAL ENTITY THAN EVER BEFORE – ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “But he tried. In international affairs, he is a competent negotiator. He has successes here; he even managed to win over the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who was distrustful of Poland, making the Vishegrad Group a more real entity than ever before. And he navigates EU corridors well. – People don't even know how many disputes the Prime Minister has mediated and softened, against the logic of his own camp. On issues like the EU's approval for mining aid, he followed the good principle of 'slow and steady wins the race' – reports a Polish diplomat.”

-- ZAREMBA ASKS ABOUT THE SCENARIO AFTER PiS WINS THE ELECTION: “If he leads the party to victory, the question after the elections will be how well he fits into the next stage of the PiS revolution. Will he allow PiS to revert to its instinct of warring with everyone? Will he agree, acting today as an ideological primus, to endorse initiatives like manipulating the press market or further centralization of power? These not only breed rebellion among the circles that Morawiecki cares about but also put us in opposition to the world. He was brought in as a magician who would break down such barriers. However, this may require a miracle.” http://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/583012,premier-morawiecki-wybory-samorzadowe-teflon-polityka-afera-tasmowa.html

-- FRAGMENT FROM AN ARTICLE BY AGATA KONDZIŃSKA AND WIONA SZPAL TO ON MORAWIECKI IN "GAZETA WYBORCZA" – KRZEMIŃSKI ON THE BACKGROUND OF MORAWIECKI'S DEPARTURE FROM THE ECONOMIC COUNCIL: “Bielecki said goodbye to Morawiecki without fanfare; everything in the Economic Council was done elegantly. Earlier, we had some indications that he might go to PiS – says Prof. Ireneusz Krzemiński, who was also a member. – Morawiecki failed to convince Tusk. He could have brought him into the government twice. First as Minister of the Treasury, then as Minister of Finance, but for some reason, he didn't do it – claims someone who cooperated with the Prime Minister during the PO's tenure. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24033094,doradca-tuska-przyjaciel-po-kim-byl-morawiecki-nim-stal-sie.html

-- HUMAN RIGHTS ARE NOT JUST FREE COURTS; WE ACCEPT BAD PRACTICES WITHIN OUR OWN RANKS BECAUSE WE ARE STILL A BIT BETTER ANYWAY – MARCIN ANASZEWICZ in "Krytyka Polityczna": “If we truly want to remove Jarosław Kaczyński from power, we must present citizens with a competitive, attractive vision of Poland. And also a vision of politics without violence, which is currently its basis. This will not succeed without adhering to principles, without proper public sphere etiquette. Unfortunately, Polish politics, with Kaczyński's face, has accustomed our broadly understood democratic camp to breaking rules, intimidating, and insulting people regardless of their titles and merits. We accept these practices within our own ranks because we are still a bit better than the competition anyway.”

-- ANASZEWICZ ASKS WHAT VALUES STAND BEHIND THE CIVIC PLATFORM – AFTER ALL, 8 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT WERE CHARACTERIZED BY LACK OF PLANNING AND LETHARGY: “What guarantee do we have that the current opposition, centered around the Civic Coalition, will start responding to the Ombudsman with 'yes,' 'we have finished our analyses and are changing the law' after potentially taking power? Are the values that Grzegorz Schetyna stands for truly equality, solidarity, justice, transparency, sustainable development, and accountability of politicians? I have serious doubts. Because after all, 8 years of PO's rule, in terms of the quality of governance and social policies, were characterized by lack of planning, indolence, and deepening lethargy of the administration. These challenges are not a priority for Schetyna, his party, or their coalition partners. Unfortunately.”

-- THE CIVIC PLATFORM WON'T SAVE ANYONE, AND ABSORBING NOWACKA CHANGED NOTHING – ANASZEWICZ CONTINUES IN "KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA": “For almost 3 years, the mainstream opposition has believed that the fight for free courts will bring millions of Poles out onto the streets against the PiS government. Some of us have believed that only the Civic Platform can be the savior, and no one else can interfere with this. Such a strategy might be beneficial, but only for one grouping – and that is Law and Justice. Let's state it clearly: if anything is known for sure today, it is that the 'united opposition' strategy has failed. We need to look for a new one. To remove Kaczyński from power, it is not enough to shout that he is an authoritarian warlord. Many Poles, for whom democracy is the highest value, are tired of these shouts. Grzegorz Schetyna and the Civic Platform will not save anyone; hard facts speak for this. Polls from the last three years do not give them grounds for optimism, and the absorption of Modern and Barbara Nowacka has not changed anything in this regard.”

-- THE MEDIA HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO THE "POPiS" STATUS QUO, AND COMMENTATORS FEAR FOR THEIR OWN POSITION IF THEY DON'T SUPPORT THE CIVIC PLATFORM – ANASZEWICZ CONTINUES: “What do we need? To start, equal opportunities to enter the political game, unhindered by either the media, which have become comfortably accustomed to the "POPiS" arrangement, or by commentators who fear for their position in the environment if they support anyone other than the Civic Platform. Do not take away people's right to participate in public debate, do not undermine the ideas and principles of parliamentary democracy, because in doing so, you undermine democracy itself. Poland needs both a democratic conservative party and new, progressive political initiatives. In a democracy, there is room for everyone who believes in it.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/anaszewicz-nie-tylko-sady/

-- STRANGE CASES OF MP LATOS, A JOB FOR HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW, MONEY FROM HIS SISTER – Dariusz Grzędziński in "Fakt": “PiS MP Tomasz Latos (54) often appears on the list of candidates for the new Minister of Health. No wonder – he is the head of the Sejm Health Committee. And what a coincidence! The MP's brother-in-law first became the director of a state hospital, and a few weeks later, his wife gifted her brother, the MP, 120,000 PLN! (...) A little over three weeks after his brother-in-law's promotion, on April 27th, MP Tomasz Latos received a donation from his sister – 120,000 PLN. This amount doubles his savings and constitutes almost 2/3 of his annual earnings (Latos earned 170,000 PLN in the Sejm, and has 10,000 PLN from his private medical practice). Previously, his sister had not supported him financially. Where did this generosity come from? Could her husband have expected preferential treatment in the competition?” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/dziwne-przypadki-posla-latosa-fucha-dla-szwagra-kasa-od-siostry/lc937yl

-- WOMEN ARE GOING FOR POWER – "Gazeta Wyborcza" lead article: “As many as 40% of all candidates in the local government elections are women. This is the highest number since 2006. In 54 municipalities, only women are competing for the office of village mayor, town mayor, or president. This year, women constitute 18% of registered candidates for these positions. In previous local elections, in 2006, 2010, and 2014, the percentages of female candidates were 12%, 14%, and 16%, respectively.” http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/7,100865,24033340,kobiety-ida-po-wladze-rekordowa-liczba-kandydatek-w-wyborach.html#nowaZajawkaGlownaMT

-- LOW WAGES WILL CATCH UP WITH THE GOVERNMENT – Adriana Rozwadowska in "Gazeta Wyborcza": “An alternative reality – in which the rebellions of people who cannot make ends meet are the fault of the opposition – will one day turn against PiS. The government is entering into conflicts with all professional groups that work for the state. Is anyone still surprised that the only group for whom the Minister of the Interior has proposed generous pay raises is the police?” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155290,24032152,tej-jesieni-wszyscy-protestuja-a-przeciez-w-rzeczywistosci.html

-- MARCIN FIJOŁEK ON THE CITY HALL'S OBSTACLES FOR THE MUSEUM OF POLISH HISTORY AND THE PROJECT'S SUCCESS: “In reality, this construction should have started several years ago, not only in 2018. The Museum of Polish History project and its director, Robert Kostro, went through many difficult moments during the Civic Platform's rule, especially when Bogdan Zdrojewski (then Minister of Culture) suddenly put a red light on the real financing of the MHP. It is also worth mentioning the obstacles placed by the capital city hall. These were petty, unnecessary decisions, based solely on party and factional thinking. Robert Mazurek even joked that the museum's construction process itself could easily warrant its own museum. There's some truth to that; wasted time is regrettable, but it is being made up for effectively now.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/416112-duza-rzecz-trzymajmy-kciuki-za-dyrektora-kostro-i-mhp

-- THE GREAT NATIONAL RAILWAY AGAIN – Edyta Bryła in "Gazeta Wyborcza": “Interests of Przewozy Regionalne and regional railways clash in the regions. After the elections, PiS politicians may aim to have them absorbed by a state-owned company.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24005687,po-wyborach-powrot-do-wielkiej-kolei-jak-za-gierka-lepiej.html

-- "SE" ABOUT THE BAR WHERE JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI EATS: “An ordinary bar in the center of Warsaw. This is where Jarosław Kaczyński (69) has his lunch prepared almost every day. The Law and Justice leader's favorite dish? Pork loin with potatoes and braised cabbage. Price – 19 zlotys.” https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/tu-stoluje-sie-prezes-zobacz-co-je-kaczynski-galeria-aa-bWd5-7BWq-Y83u.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Piotr Legutko, Cezary Olejniczak, Robert Wardzała, Piotr Szeliga.