Kaczyński Called for Questioning Over 2020 Postal Voting

The news in Polish

1. wybory  (m.)
   proces, w którym obywatele danego kraju wybierają swoich przedstawicieli do organów władzy ↩︎
2. korespondencyjny
   dotyczący przesyłania informacji pocztą ↩︎
3. oskarżać
   zarzucać komuś popełnienie przestępstwa lub wykroczenia ↩︎
4. nadużycie  (n.)
   działanie wykorzystujące dane uprawnienia w niewłaściwy sposób ↩︎
5. dochodzenie  (n.)
   zgłębianie jakiejś sprawy w celu poznania prawdy ↩︎
6. legalny
   zgodne z obowiązującym prawem ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Who is Jarosław Kaczyński?

Question 2: Why might Jarosław Kaczyński not attend the questioning?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
wybory  (m.)	elections
korespondencyjny	postal
oskarżać	accuse
nadużycie  (n.)	abuse
dochodzenie  (n.)	investigation
legalny	legal

Read the full story

The Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office has summoned Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), for questioning related to the organization of “postal elections” planned for May 2020. This controversial method was proposed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic but ultimately was not executed.

The investigation is part of an ongoing inquiry where former Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has already faced allegations. In February 2025, Morawiecki was charged with exceeding his powers by directing the Polish Postal Service to prepare for the postal voting, a measure that lacked legal basis at that time. These actions were aimed at facilitating the presidential election initially scheduled for 10 May 2020 but later conducted on 28 June in traditional voting venues. Morawiecki denies the charges.

Reports indicate that Kaczyński is needed as a witness in this case. However, there’s uncertainty if he will attend the scheduled session due to conflicting parliamentary obligations, as noted by journalist Mariusz Gierszewski.

The investigation has reignited discussions about the 2020 electoral process during the pandemic. Initially, Prime Minister Morawiecki instructed the postal service and the State Printing Works to commence preparations for the postal election on 16 April, even though the supporting legislation only came into effect three weeks later. These decisions were later deemed by the Warsaw Administrative Court as a severe infringement of legal procedures.

A separate line of investigation examined potential mismanagement by Polish Postal Service executives and allegations of unauthorized data processing of Polish citizens. This inquiry concluded without charges in June 2025.

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