Polish opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) could lose 75 million zlotys (17.3 million euros) of state funding following a decision by the State Election Commission (PKW), according to bne IntelliNews.
The PKW reportedly rejected the party’s financial report for 2023. The commission’s decision was published on 20 November, questioning whether PiS spent 3.6 million zlotys (840,000 euros) on the election campaign.
Under Polish campaign finance rules, questioning 1% of total campaign spending is enough to reject a party’s financial report. However, PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023, said the PKW acted at the behest of the incumbent majority to reduce the party’s chances in the upcoming presidential election next May.
The commission planned to “eliminate the only real opposition in Poland through unlawful administrative actions,” party spokesperson Rafał Bochenek stated. The PKW’s decision could mean that PiS would not receive a cumulative state funding of 75 million zlotys for the next three years, until the end of the current parliamentary term.
This complicates PiS’s plans for the presidential election, in which the party hopes to retain control of the presidential office after incumbent President Andrzej Duda steps down after completing his second and final term. The party is expected to announce its presidential candidate for the 2025 election in the coming days.
PiS has until 27 November to appeal PKW’s decision to the Supreme Court.
