-- GOWIN ON ELECTIONS IN A YEAR, SCHETYNA ON EVERYTHING OPENING UP AGAIN IN POLITICS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/03/27/ -- DEMAND FOR DIRECT DEMOCRACY MAY BECOME PART OF THE POLITICAL MENU - JAROSŁAW KUISZ IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “Old democracies in crisis situations, as we know from history from Athenian democracy to the 20th century, can turn out to be as subversive as e-democracies. Ultimately, their existence depends not on miracles, but solely on the depth of their roots in society. Just like the division between left and right, the genesis of our political institutions dates back to the 18th century and the French Revolution. However, ideas of direct democracy, of strong, daily citizen engagement, also emerged then. They failed for various reasons, including the fact that they seemed technologically unrealizable in large countries. Well, today that is no longer an obstacle. The only serious argument in the 21st century is… that citizens will not want to participate in politics on a daily basis. In that case, however, hybrid solutions will likely emerge. For mundane matters, citizens will not vote, for example, through their ePUAP accounts, but for interesting ones – they will. The fact is that imagination suggests a whole host of new threats. However, this does not change the fact that after the pandemic, the citizen's demand: 'I want a login and password too!' – like the demand for direct democracy in Poland, may become part of the political menu. And it probably will. Because if it can, why not.” -- WHY SHOULD “REMOTE MODE” BYPASS POLITICS? - KUISZ AGAIN: “It is clearly visible that the coronavirus has caused social reality to 'catch up' to the level that new technologies have long offered. The government suddenly wants to teach children remotely in schools. Doctors are to assess some patients online. Education, healthcare, the army… Everywhere, with varying degrees of success, a 'remote' mode is being introduced. Why should the world of politics be an exception?” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/03/26/ja-tez-chce-login-i-haslo-czyli-koronawirus-i-demokracja-bezposrednia/ -- Photo: Teniersplaats in Antwerp, Henri De Braekeleer, Belgian modernist, called the painter of silence and stillness, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. -- ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASHES IN THE FIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN THE SEJM - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN ONET: “The anti-virus Sejm session was supposed to be express and remove the legal obstacles that hinder the adoption of the government's aid package for businesses and employees. However, due to the difficult election campaign, this session, unique in its format, turned into one of the most important clashes of presidential candidates.” -- KOSINIAK'S STRATEGY - DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM PO AND PIS - STANKIEWICZ FURTHER: “Kosiniak-Kamysz naturally emphasized that the PSL was the first to propose aid for farmers. He also criticized Civic Platform for stumbling with PiS on the introduction of an online voting procedure in the Sejm – this is also part of his election strategy, which involves differentiating himself from both PiS and PO.” -- BOSAK PRODS PIS AS A SPOKESPERSON FOR SMALL BUSINESS - STANKIEWICZ FURTHER: “In turn, Krzysztof Bosak presented himself mainly as a spokesperson for small businesses. Thus, he played on the strings that allowed Konfederacja to snatch a few points from PiS in the last elections.” -- INCREASING FRUSTRATION WITH KIDAWA'S PERFORMANCES FELT WITHIN CIVIC PLATFORM - STANKIEWICZ FURTHER: “The candidate of Civic Coalition, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, performed most weakly in this group. (...) The head of Civic Platform, Borys Budka, came to her rescue, who in his few appearances performed much better than his party's presidential candidate. It is not surprising that increasing frustration with Kidawa-Błońska's performances is felt within Civic Platform.” -- THE STRANGE SESSION SHOWED HOW AN EPIDEMIC CAMPAIGN ENDS - STANKIEWICZ'S CONCLUSION: “But this strange Sejm session showed how a campaign conducted during an epidemic ends. It is practicing politics based on fear of crisis, illness, and death.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/koronawirus-polska-walka-o-prezydenture-analiza-stankiewicz/67smrfd -- A CHANCE FOR A RESET THAT COULD BRING LONG-TERM BENEFITS TO THE RULING PARTY - DR JAROSŁAW FLIS IN RZ: “The dispute over the election date consumes time and attention that the rulers do not have in excess today. It creates tensions precisely at a moment when natural citizen unity around the government in the face of a crisis could serve to ease disputes, heated beyond necessity in the past five years. It is possible that Poland is losing a chance for a real political reset, which could even bring long-term benefits to the ruling party.” -- IF 6 MILLION VOTERS DID NOT VOTE, THERE WOULD BE A CRISIS OF UNPREDICTABLE CONSEQUENCES AND COURSE - FLIS FURTHER IN RZ: “If, however, the highly justified concern for health remained only at the level of last Sunday, then it should be expected that on May 10, 6 million citizens who would have voted under normal circumstances will not vote. This would be a crisis of a scale incomparable even to the events of autumn 2014, when ten times more voters, misled by the new ballot format, cast invalid votes in the regional elections. (...) Today it looks like neither the Prime Minister nor the President, by evading the legalization of a functioning state of emergency, are taking into account that they may trigger a political crisis of unpredictable consequences and course.” -- ONLY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH IS DISTANCING HIMSELF - FLIS FURTHER: “Only one person in the entire government clearly distances himself from the leader's obviousness, because thanks to the coronavirus, he is untouchable. This is the Minister of Health – who, incidentally, is most interested in the short-term effects of potential elections. If he says: 'Let's wait two weeks,' the meaning of this statement is unambiguous. It should be interpreted as: then even the biggest idiot will understand that elections cannot be held in May...” https://www.rp.pl/Publicystyka/303269873-Jaroslaw-Flis-Absurdalny-upor-Kaczynskiego.html -- THE DANGER OF REBELLION WOULD BE REAL - PROF. JACEK RACIBORSKI ON THE MAY ELECTIONS - writes in RZ: “If, however, the elections are held, with the absence of a vast majority of citizens, with the violation of all these mentioned standards of free elections, and Andrzej Duda is declared their winner, then a great danger will hang over Poland: it will have a president massively contested, considered illegitimate, unfairly elected. I do not think this would immediately lead to social unrest on the scale of Ukraine in 2004, when Yanukovych's election was contested, or when Milosevic was overthrown in Serbia in 2000. All these were precisely events related to presidential elections. However, the danger of rebellion, revolt will be serious. And every such rebellion is a regression of democracy. The stubborn pursuit by the ruling camp towards voting in May is all the stranger because Andrzej Duda is not condemned to failure in elections that would take place in the autumn or even spring of 2021.” https://www.rp.pl/Publicystyka/303269875-Jacek-Raciborski--Kiedy-rzadzacy-traca-legitymacje.html -- CONSENSUS NEEDED, LET'S POSTPONE THE ELECTIONS BY A YEAR WITH A SINGLE CHANGE TO THE CONSTITUTION - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF RZ ON THE FRONT PAGE OF DZIEENNIK: “Not to be outmaneuvered by the opposition and bow to obvious facts? I propose consensus, perhaps inconvenient for many, but optimal for Poland. I propose extending Andrzej Duda's term by one year through a single constitutional amendment (Polish law, so-called constitutional acts, does not provide for this). This will be the moment when Poland will have awakened after the crisis.” -- IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER, CONDITIONS WILL BE EQUAL FOR EVERYONE - CHRABOTA FURTHER: “In the middle of winter, candidacies can be submitted again, signatures collected, and campaigns developed. The conditions will likely be equal for everyone then. Does this proposal make sense? It solves the slowly growing problem of the lack of constitutional chances to hold elections and gives candidates relatively equal chances in a year. It will save us from limited turnout, which Prof. Jarosław Flis estimates in his text for 'Rz' at 6 million fewer voters, and from the lack of full democratic legitimacy for the elected president. And most importantly, it will quiet down the destructive political dispute at a time when full elite cooperation is needed in the face of a national threat. I call for consensus on this matter. Any other path carries great political and social risk.” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-prezydenckie-2020/200329362-Boguslaw-Chrabota-Potrzeba-konsensusu-odlozmy-wybory-o-rok.html -- PIS KNOWS HOW TO FOUL, BUT THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TRUST, THEREFORE ELECTIONS SHOULD BE POSTPONED, EXITING CAMPAIGN LOGIC IS NECESSARY TO REBUILD TRUST - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The only thing that matters is to try to rebuild the political community and mutual trust. I am aware that this will be difficult. Law and Justice has repeatedly proven over the last five years that it knows how to foul, to push the boundaries, to break rules and agreements. It showed its full brutality and ruthlessness towards the opposition. The daily dose of incitement in TVP news programs further exacerbates this distrust. But despite this, the government and institutions need a minimum of trust. If there is a suspicion that the ruling party will use the crisis for electoral purposes, this will not be possible. Therefore, the elections should be postponed. The opposition also has its faults. The concept of total opposition formulated a few years ago was moderately pro-social in political terms. But – what is worse – by attempting to morally delegitimize the authorities (who – let us repeat – often broke all rules), it also removed the remnants of trust from our public life. Exiting the logic of the campaign is a necessary condition for starting this rebuilding.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/303269857-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Bez-zaufania-nie-pokonamy-kryzysu.html -- EVERYONE HAS ARGUED WITH EVERYONE - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “But as it is in the Polish Sejm: there was no compromise, but everyone argued with everyone. If PiS says that PO poses a threat, it is exceptional hypocrisy. (...) But the government still does not want to introduce a state of natural disaster, because the leader of PiS is still insistent on the May date for the presidential elections. Meanwhile, in mid-April, election commissions will have to be organized, which will be a source of infection. It is good that the Sejm finally convened. It is a shame that the opposition argued among itself on such an important matter. Today, the focus should be on quickly enacting and refining the anti-crisis package, rather than engaging in procedural bickering.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25824240,a-w-sejmie-jak-zwykle.html -- DEPUTY MINISTER OF INTERIOR AND ADMINISTRATION BELIEVES THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEM WITH STAFFING ELECTORAL COMMISSIONS - in Michał Kolanko's article in RZ: “At midnight on Thursday, the deadline for submitting signatures under candidacies passed. April 10 is the deadline for completing the composition of district electoral commissions. This is about 300,000 people. This will also be a significant deadline for the government. – In my opinion, there will be no problems ensuring staffing for the electoral commissions. And if there are, we will have to deal with this situation – stated Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration Dr. Błażej Poboży on Wednesday.” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-prezydenckie-2020/303269851-Samorzady-nie-chca-organizowac-wyborow-prezydenckich.html -- NO CHANGE FOR KIDAWA - BORYS BUDKA in conversation with Magdalena Pernet in RZ: “And why would it be any different? We are not discussing any changes to the presidential candidate. . KO prioritizes good solutions regarding the health and economic security of Poles every day. We are not discussing elections. We are also not discussing changing the presidential candidate.” -- IF IT IS DANGEROUS, I WILL NOT URGE ANYONE TO GO TO THE ELECTIONS - BUDKA FURTHER: “No responsible politician can prioritize political interest over the safety of people who would participate in the elections. If it is dangerous, I will not urge anyone to participate in these elections.” https://www.rp.pl/Koalicja-Obywatelska/303269833-Budka-Rzad-sie-mocno-spoznia.html -- THE AUTHORITIES HAVE CORONAVIRUS ON THEIR HANDS - Monika Olejnik in GW: “The authorities want the elections to take place on May 10 at all costs and for Andrzej Duda to win in the first round. PiS politicians say openly – this is important for the country's stabilization. Do they want to have the coronavirus on their hands? Does a Pole always have to learn the hard way?” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25823727,czy-politycy-pis-chca-miec-koronawirusa-na-rekach.html -- THE STATE MUST GIVE MUCH MORE THAN IT IS GIVING - ANNA CIEŚLAK-WRÓBLEWSKA IN RZ: “All experts agree that the worst is yet to come, both in terms of the development of the virus pandemic and its consequences in all areas of our lives. The state must think two steps ahead – it must be prepared for the epidemic to pass in a month or two and for us to be able to rebuild quickly, but also for everything to go in the worst direction. Without a sensible reaction, only ruins will remain of our economy. Much more is expected from the prime minister, who until recently boasted that we are a model for others, than what he is currently giving us.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze-ekonomiczne/303269832-Anna-Cieslak-Wroblewska-Oby-nie-zostaly-tylko-zgliszcza.html -- IS IT WORTH FIGHTING FOR SUCH A MANDATE? - ALEKSANDER KWAŚNIEWSKI in conversation with Agnieszka Kublik in GW: “On the other hand, I would wonder, as the president, whether it is worth fighting for a mandate that will be infected with this coronavirus from the beginning. Because winning an election, even in the first round, with a 30% turnout is not a great success. But I repeat: I am convinced that the intensifying epidemic and public pressure will force the authorities to postpone the elections.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25823695,kwasniewski-jezeli-to-nie-jest-stan-nadzwyczajny-to-co-nim.html -- KWAŚNIEWSKI “GROUNDED ON SKIS IN SWITZERLAND” - AS HE TELLS FAKT: “- I got grounded in the mountains in Switzerland. It was supposed to be beautiful March skiing, but we have a self-quarantine. All international events – conferences, meetings, lectures are suspended. It was optimistically assessed that maybe by mid-May it would return to some semblance of normality, but June events are now also being canceled. And PiS wants to hold elections!” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/koronawirus-w-polsce-aleksander-kwasniewski-przebywa-w-szwajcarii/0csmjys -- PATRYCJA KOTECKA ON THE BOARD OF LINK4, AT HER OWN REQUEST WILL EARN AS MUCH AS BEFORE - WIRTUALNE MEDIA: “- This is a strengthening of marketing competencies in the management team – justified Bartłomiej Litwińczuk, chairman of the Link4 supervisory board. It was noted that Patrycja Kotecka, at her own request, will earn the same as a marketing director in her new role as a board member of the company.” -- LINK4'S ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS HAVE BEEN REWARDED - WM FURTHER: “In recent years, several Effie awards have been given for Link4 advertisements, and the company has also received several industry awards (including the Silver Panther from Kantar last year for the most effective insurance brand creative).” https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/patrycja-kotecka-link4-zarzad-poprzednio-jako-dyrektor-marketingu -- BIRTHDAYS: Henryka Krzywonos, Anna Sobecka, Maria Pasło-Wiśniewska, Marek Konopka, Dominik Tarczyński.