In Warsaw, Poland, a former Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has been formally charged with overstepping his powers related to mishandling the presidential election process during the COVID-19 pandemic. The charges arose after Morawiecki decided that the entire election should be conducted via postal votes, a decision not legally sanctioned.
Ultimately, the planned May 2020 election was postponed and later carried out at polling stations. The attempt to conduct the postal vote, which never took place, resulted in an estimated cost of at least 70 million zlotys (approximately $17.5 million) from taxpayer funds. On Thursday, Morawiecki appeared at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw for questioning, but he refused to provide testimony.
Prosecutors have alleged that Morawiecki exceeded his authority and neglected his official duties, according to spokesperson Piotr Skiba. Morawiecki, who concluded his term as prime minister in late 2023, defended his actions to his supporters, stating that his efforts in 2020 aimed to facilitate the election process amidst the global health crisis. He emphasized his belief in political persecution by the new administration under Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“The COVID-19 pandemic posed a massive challenge worldwide. The world was unprepared, with no established procedures in any country, be it Europe or elsewhere,” Morawiecki remarked, emphasizing his duties to organize the election within a constitutional timeline. His supporters gathered in solidarity, chanting his name as a sign of support.
This legal action comes amid the new government led by Tusk pursuing accountability from former conservative government officials, whom they accuse of undermining legal standards and engaging in corrupt activities. Morawiecki and his allies have strongly refuted these accusations. Previously, a court concluded in 2020 that Morawiecki’s directive for the national postal service to prepare for an entirely postal vote breached several legal statutes.
