Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been charged with abuse of power for attempting to organize a presidential election at the height of the pandemic in 2020 using mail-in ballots, a prosecution spokesperson announced Thursday.Morawiecki, who is now deputy leader of the opposition nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, allegedly bypassed state election bodies and ordered that ballots be printed without legal authority, costing the government 70 million złoty (€17 million).
The mail-in election ultimately did not take place; Poland held an in-person vote several months later, resulting in a narrow victory by pro-PiS incumbent Andrzej Duda.Morawiecki waived his immunity from prosecution in January. He has denied any wrongdoing and has refused to answer questions from the prosecution.In a post on X, Morawiecki wrote that he is being “persecuted for the will to organize the presidential elections.”
“If I had to make the decision again regarding the preparation of the elections at that time, I would do exactly the same. It was my duty. When the whole world froze because of the pandemic, I acted, for Poland. I continue to do so today. I wouldn’t change a thing.”If convicted, Morawiecki — who recently became the leader of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists party — faces up to three years in prison.
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