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Presidential elections should have been held on the 10th of May! It is a pity this did not come to pass. In hindsight, we can clearly see the chaos that the opposition is trying to push us into. The Senate (Upper House) – sanctioned by Senate Marshal Grodzki – acting opportunistically, became engaged in useless politicking by holding back for as long as possible the bill concerning a new election date. Well, we all know how that ended. But it could have been far worse. We were almost in a situation where continuity of the head of state's office was threatened, where democratic processes were under attack and our economy, already suffering from the coronavirus crisis, could have been damaged even further. And such actions are unacceptable. Both now and in the future. Regardless of which side of the political divide one is on. In other words, it is imperative that presidential elections take place and that we can decide whom to cast our vote for. There is no place in politics for those unable to comprehend that or to see that such actions are a direct threat to the functioning of the state. And even more so for individuals seeking to use the chaos to bolster their positions or further their careers. The question of why the opposition, denigrating the authority of the Polish state, decided to impede democratic processes, is now of secondary or even lesser importance. Conflicts between politicians should not put an additional strain on Poles already facing a difficult social and economic situation. Especially if the functioning of the state is at stake and at a time such as now: post a compulsory lockdown of the economy and social relations. Today, when we are all trying to return to normality and rebuild our economy ruined by the pandemic, a legal and political crisis sparked off by the presidential elections date obstruction could have been the proverbial nail in the coffin for thousands of Polish businesses and millions of individuals who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Few people realise that such politicking, leading to a vacant Presidential office, would have austere consequences for the entire Polish economy. As our economy's best chance of quickly recovering and reorienting itself back onto a course towards rapid growth is through support mechanisms put in place by the government and approved by the head of state. Political obstruction would effectively impede this process for a long time to come. Similarly, a political crisis would keep away even the most dogged domestic and foreign investors, so needed once all this is over. Economic stability requires a stable political environment, and that is as obvious as it gets. More and more Poles are beginning to see that Presidential elections should take place as soon as possible. Regardless of what the polls say, whether there will be a second round and who might possibly be in the running. This should happen so as to avoid plunging the country into turmoil and to give the Polish economy a chance to return to normality within an appreciable period of time. The tug-of-war which the opposition has been playing at made no sense and was condemned to failure right from the outset. We cannot avoid political disputes. That is how democracy works. However, nothing justifies actions aimed at depreciating the parliament or an attempt to curtail the right to vote. Active suffrage is an inalienable right. It stands at the foundation of democracy. And anyone trying to interfere with that right is violating that foundation. For a dozen or so days, the Free Speech Zone Economic Council and the fpg24.pl website have been engaged in #chcemygłosowac social media initiative. It is a bottom-up initiative. It transcends political divisions. We encourage everyone to become involved. In our opinion, regardless of your political views and whom you want to vote for, you should have the right to vote and choose the presidential candidate you consider to be most suitable for the job.

Piotr Hoffman

The author is also the chairman of the Free Speech Zone Economic Council www.radagospodarcza-sws.pl www.fpg24.pl

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