Polish ultraconservatives ask their supporters for money after losing part of public aid

MADFRID, Aug. 30 () –

The ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which governed Poland until 2023, launched an appeal to its supporters on Friday to increase donations, a day after the Electoral Commission announced a cut in public funds due to irregularities detected in the last electoral campaign.

The party’s chairman, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, admitted in a statement that the group needs “help from society” and has therefore appealed to Polish “patriots” to provide financial aid, even if it is in “small” amounts, the party itself reported on social media.

Kaczynski has argued that they need the money to continue developing their current activities and, above all, to avoid losing strength in the run-up to the presidential elections, which are expected to take place in May next year. PiS wants to retain the position currently held by its ally Andrzej Duda.

The current Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has praised the work of the Electoral Commission in the face of criticism from his political rivals and has said that the report released on Thursday did nothing more than “formally” expose the “abuses of power” that were already known to be committed by the PiS by using public funds for electoral purposes.

In this regard, he pointed out during a press conference that these were “things that are clearly visible” and warned that completing a transition of power does not exempt the previous administration from responsibilities, reports the PAP news agency.

According to the electoral commission, PiS, which remains the party with the most seats in the Polish parliament, spent 3.6 million zlotys (about 840,000 euros) irregularly. The previous government is accused of campaigning at official events and even hiring people at public expense who actually served the interests of the ruling party.

The electoral commission has confirmed that PiS will initially be left without 10 million zloty (2.3 million euros) in aid, although further cuts may be made over the next three years.