2023 Polish referendum
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| Voting system | Majority vote | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Website | Official website | |||||||||||||||||||||
1. Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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2. Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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4. Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: National Electoral Commission | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A referendum was held in Poland on 15 October 2023, taking place alongside the nationwide elections to the Senate and Sejm.[1][2]
Four questions had been announced by members of the government from 11 to 14 August. Voters were asked whether they approve of the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, an increase in the retirement age, the admission of immigrants under the EU relocation mechanism, and the removal of the barrier on Poland's border with Belarus.[3][4][5] The referendum was boycotted by the main opposition parties resulting in a turnout of only 40%[6] (compared to more than 70% for the election[7]). As a result of not exceeding the minimum validity threshold of 50% turnout, the results were not legally binding, making the referendum an example of a successful no-show strategy.
Questions
[edit]The referendum asked four questions:[5][8][2][9][10]
- "Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy?"[a]
- "Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women?"[b]
- "Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between the Republic of Poland and Republic of Belarus?"[c]
- "Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?"[d]
The questions were criticised by opposition parties and commentators as purportedly aimed at the opposition leader and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk.[11] The ruling Law and Justice party was accused of inciting anti-immigrant sentiment to boost turnout among its voters on election day.[12] The law had been changed shortly before the announcement of the referendum to allow it to be held on the same day as the parliamentary election, which was referred to as a way to skirt past electoral campaign budget limits by the incumbent Law and Justice party under the false pretense of referendum funding.[13] The referendum questions were also phrased as leading or loaded questions.[14]
Exit poll
[edit]In the IPSOS exit poll, it was reported that the voter turnout in the referendum was around 40%, which falls below the minimum validity threshold of 50%, indicating that the referendum is non-binding.[15]
| Question number | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (asset sale) | 2.5% | 97.5% |
| 2 (retirement age) | 4% | 96% |
| 3 (barrier elimination) | 2.2% | 97.8% |
| 4 (forced immigrant acceptance) | 1.4% | 98.6% |
| Age | Turnout |
|---|---|
| 18 – 29 | 32.5% |
| 30 – 39 | 40.3% |
| 40 – 49 | 40.2% |
| 50 – 59 | 45.7% |
| 60 and over | 40.6% |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Polish: Czy popierasz wyprzedaż majątku państwowego podmiotom zagranicznym, prowadzącą do utraty kontroli Polek i Polaków nad strategicznymi sektorami gospodarki?
- ^ Polish: Czy popierasz podniesienie wieku emerytalnego, w tym przywrócenie podwyższonego do 67 lat wieku emerytalnego dla kobiet i mężczyzn?
- ^ Polish: Czy popierasz likwidację bariery na granicy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z Republiką Białorusi?
- ^ Polish: Czy popierasz przyjęcie tysięcy nielegalnych imigrantów z Bliskiego Wschodu i Afryki, zgodnie z przymusowym mechanizmem relokacji narzucanym przez biurokrację europejską?
References
[edit]- ^ "Poland to vote in privatisation referendum, likely alongside October election". Reuters. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b "Parliament approves bill to hold referendum on October 15". tvpworld.com (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (2023-08-13). "Polish prime minister to hold referendum on EU's immigration plan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "Poland unveils referendum on EU migrant policy – DW – 08/13/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b "Polish government unveils fourth referendum query on border barrier removal - English Section - polskieradio.pl". polskieradio.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ "Frekwencja w Referendum ogólnokrajowym 2023 r." referendum.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Frekwencja w wyborach do Sejmu w 2023 r." wybory.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Last referendum question to concern barrier on Polish-Belarusian border: Def Min". tvpworld.com (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ "Wyniki głosowania w Referendum ogólnokrajowym 2023 r." referendum.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Results of voting in Nationwide Referendum 2023". referendum.gov.pl. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Poland to vote in privatisation referendum, likely alongside October election". Reuters. 11 August 2023.
- ^ Tilles, Daniel (2023-08-14). "Referendum to ask Poles if they support EU "imposing thousands of illegal immigrants"". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ Tilles, Daniel (2023-07-03). "Polish ruling party submits bill to allow EU migration referendum on election day". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ Walker, Shaun (15 October 2023). "Poles vote as PiS hopes to win third term and fend off Tusk-led opposition". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Radosław Opas (2023-10-15). "Wyniki referendum. Są dane exit poll". wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ "RELACJA. Wyniki exit poll. Znamy zwycięzcę". wpolityce.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
