Polish opposition parties skip abortion in coalition deal talks

10 months ago 51

The three opposition parties willing to form a new Polish government have put together a special negotiating team that is currently working on a coalition deal that would include public sector pay rises and reimbursement for in vitro fertilisation without mentioning abortion rights, a sensitive issue that divides the parties.

Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO, EPP/Greens), the Third Way bloc (Renew/EPP) and the Left (S&D) are divided on numerous issues, including welfare state solutions, promoted by the Left, but also sensitive worldview issues, like abortion.

Already strict abortion rights were further curtailed by a 2020 ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, which was accused of being controlled by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) party and sparked massive protests in Polish cities. Still, abortion would not be included in the coalition between the three blocs, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.

“We all agree about the need to cancel the Constitutional Tribunal’s decision as soon as possible,” said MP Dariusz Wieczorek, who represents the Left in the negotiation team, as quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza.

During their election campaign, the Left and KO promised to legalise abortion up until pregnancy reached its 12th week, though the Third Way wants to return to the 1993 compromise under which abortion was legal in three cases: when a fetus is seriously and irreversibly damaged, when the mother’s life is in danger, and when the pregnancy happened a result of rape.

According to Wieczorek, the bill on abortion rights is likely to be introduced sometime in 2024 after discussion within the coalition. This does not mean that the coalition agreement will not address women’s rights at all. It will include state funding for the in vitro method and improved standards of medical care for pregnant women.

The opposition bloc’s silence on abortion could alienate more liberal voters. However, it would also avoid accusations by PiS of promoting anti-Christian values, which could damage the Third Way’s reputation as a Christian Democratic bloc.

The parties also agree to pay raises for teachers and the public sector and maintain the package of social welfare programmes introduced by the PiS government. During the election campaign, PiS threatened that if it came to power, it would abolish programmes such as the monthly child benefit, which was recently increased to 800 zlotys (€180).

The coalition deal would also include a declaration on the EU funds. Due to the concerns over the rule of law in Poland, the EU Commission froze the money allocated for the country under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which will be issued only after Warsaw delivers on the specific milestones, mostly related to judicial independence.

The opposition says it has a plan to comply with standards set by EU law but has purportedly not revealed it so far.

Although it was the conservative PiS party that came first in the elections held on 15 October, KO, the Third Way, and the Left won more than 54% of the votes and secured a majority of 248 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house of the parliament.

While the opposition is negotiating the deal, President Andrzej Duda will be the one to nominate the new prime minister. There are two serious candidates for the post: opposition’s Tusk and PiS’ Mateusz Morawiecki, Duda said last week.

Although its chances of securing a parliamentary majority appear slim, PiS is not giving up. Asked whether he thought the party would stay in power for a third consecutive term, PiS MEP Ryszard Legutko told Euractiv Poland he did not know.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)