New Left in favor of joining a coalition and forming a government. Announcement of two bills on termination of pregnancy
The National Council of the New Left unanimously adopted a resolution on concluding a coalition agreement and co-forming a government with the Civic Coalition and Third Way. – We approach these challenges in a very responsible way – assured Włodzimierz Czarzasty, co-chairman of the New Left. The second resolution declared “six program pillars”. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk announced the submission of two bills on abortion at the first session of the Sejm.
The National Council of the New Left took place on Sunday in Warsaw. As the co-chairman announced after its conclusion Włodzimierz Czarzasty, a resolution was adopted on concluding a coalition agreement with the Civic Coalition and Third Road and establishing a common government. According to him, 140 people voted for the resolution, no one was against.
Czarzasty added that the resolution comes into force on the day of its adoption – We believe that the entry and opportunity for the Polish Left to enter and co-create the government and take responsibility for Poland, for the situation in our country, is the most important thing for us. That is why we approach these challenges very responsibly and that is why I presented to you the unanimously adopted resolution, said the leader of the Left.
“Six pillars” in the resolution
He presented the second resolution, also unanimously adopted Robert Biedroń.
It says that New Left “accepts the content of the coalition agreement initialed on November 10, 2023 as the necessary minimum program, the agreement of which will enable the repair of the state system and the renewal of Polish democracy.”
“We oblige parliamentarians belonging to the New Left to implement the New Left’s electoral program. We place particular emphasis on six program pillars. This is: women’s rights, secular state, housing, work, public services and senior policy” – mentioned in the resolution.
“These pillars should be implemented by submitting appropriate bills. We also oblige parliamentarians to submit a bill guaranteeing Polish women the right to safe and legal abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy and a bill decriminalizing assistance in terminating pregnancy. We expect that the Speaker of the Sejm, elected by democratic votes, majority, will without undue delay submit the above-mentioned projects to the first reading,” emphasized the New Left politicians.
“We will do everything to ensure that the leftist demands are implemented”
Robert Biedroń announced that in the future government his formation will monitor the issue of pay raises for teachers and public sector employees, providing psychological care for students in every school, the real separation of state and church, amending the Penal Code to ensure that hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender is prosecuted ex officio, abolition of the limit on National Health Fund and ensuring a 30-day payment deadline by markets and purchasing companies for food producers.
Czarzasty pointed out that his formation will strive for depoliticization of the National Council of the Judiciary and the Supreme Court, elimination of the wage gap, energy based on renewable energy sources and nuclear energy, modernization of transmission networks, obtaining KPO, ensuring protection against logging for forests and enlarging the areas of national parks, depoliticization public media and construction of nurseries.
Press conference of the New Left TVN24
Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, vice-president of the New Left, emphasized that her party contributed to the coalition agreement by co-financing in vitro procedures, increasing the budget of the National Labor Inspectorate and building cheap apartments for rent.
She recalled that the Left has prepared a draft bill on the elimination of the conscience clause or the financing of the Church, which would help separate the state from the Church. – We are persistent, we are determined, we will do everything to ensure that left-wing and progressive demands are on the agenda and implemented – argued Scheuring-Wielgus.
Announcement of two bills. “We will submit it at the first session of the Sejm”
Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk announced the submission of both bills at the first session of the Sejm. – The Left is transparent, the Left is honest, the Left is reliable towards its voters and female voters. Therefore, we will not and do not intend to remain silent on what is not yet included in the coalition agreement. The fact that it has not been found does not mean that we forget about it, she emphasized.
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Press conference of the New Left TVN24
– I am, of course, talking about the obligation that the National Council imposed on us, women and parliamentarians of the New Left, in a resolution, obliging us to immediately submit two bills on termination of pregnancy. First, an act guaranteeing legal, safe, free abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Secondly, the rescue act, the act decriminalizing assistance in terminating pregnancy, i.e. deleting Article 152 from the Penal Code, she explained.
§ 1. Whoever, with the woman’s consent, terminates her pregnancy in violation of the provisions of the Act, shall be subject to the penalty of imprisonment for up to 3 years. § 2. Whoever assists a pregnant woman in terminating her pregnancy in violation of the provisions of the Act or induces her to do so shall be subject to the same penalty. § 3. Whoever commits the act specified in § 1 or 2, when the conceived child has achieved the ability to live independently outside the body of a pregnant woman, shall be subject to the penalty of imprisonment from 6 months to 8 years.
– Both of these acts (…) are ready. Both of these laws are our weapons in the fight to ensure that every Pole, every girl, every woman in Poland feels and is actually safe and has the right to decide for herself. We treat both of these acts as a priority for our activities in the new term. We will submit both these bills to the Marshal’s staff at the first session of the Sejm tomorrow, she announced.
In the upcoming term, the Left club will have 26 MPs and nine senators. The vote for the new government was declared by the Razem party, which co-creates a club with the New Left, but which one decided not to participate in the government coalition.
