Karol Nawrocki's swearing-in will go ahead without a hitch. There will be no coup.
"The Prime Minister and government representatives will attend the swearing-in of the new president on August 6th," government spokesman Adam Szłapka announced in an interview with "Rzeczpospolita." The declaration came long before the Speaker of the Sejm revealed the revelations about the "coup d'état" and the "proposal to delay Karol Nawrocki's swearing-in."
What did Szymon Hołownia guarantee to Jarosław Kaczyński?According to our information, Szymon Hołownia, during a meeting with Jarosław Kaczyński at Adam Bielan's apartment, guaranteed that the swearing-in would take place on the scheduled date. "The Law and Justice party (PiS) was genuinely afraid that the ruling party would undermine the president's election," one of the meeting participants told "Rzeczpospolita."
The president's inauguration was planned from the beginning for August 6th. Did anyone actually probe Hołownia about a postponement? Or is this just another coalition bargaining exercise, this time over remaining Speaker of the Sejm? It's a matter of word against word.
In PO, no one except Roman Giertych believes in rigged electionsDonald Tusk initially believed that "assuming that the elections were rigged is not good for the Polish state." However, after Roman Giertych, a member of parliament and Civic Platform party, began questioning the legality of the presidential election, the prime minister personally inflamed the situation. Although he never publicly said that the swearing-in should be delayed.
However, in mid-July, unofficial reports surfaced in the media that Tusk was trying to influence Hołownia to delay Nawrocki's inauguration as president. The Speaker of the Sejm reportedly rejected the idea. How much truth is there in this? Tusk doesn't confirm Hołownia's claims. In an interview with "Rzeczpospolita," Włodzimierz Czarzasty denied them, declaring that the Left would attend the inauguration. The same is true for Marek Sawicki of the Polish People's Party (PSL), who also announced that the Third Way party is ready to participate in the ceremony.
Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska , The Civic Platform (PO) Senate Marshal said she would be present at the swearing-in ceremony. One Civic Platform (PO) member told Rzeczpospolita that "there will be no one in the party, apart from Giertych, who would question the legality of Nawrocki's election."
Most of the MPs and senators will come to the swearing-in of President Karol NawrockiThe Civic Coalition (KO) is not planning any discipline during Nawrocki's swearing-in ceremony, but most MPs will be present. "If anyone is absent, it will be individuals, and for vacation or family reasons. We cannot order Giertych or anyone else to attend the swearing-in ceremony or applaud Nawrocki," one KO MP told us.
It is certain that former President of the Republic of Poland Lech Wałęsa, who refused to participate in this "scandalous spectacle," and Leszek Miller, among others, will not accept the Sejm Speaker's invitation to the swearing-in ceremony. The former prime minister, speaking on Biedrzycka's "Express," explained his absence by claiming he didn't know who won the election. Bronisław Komorowski has yet to confirm his participation. Voices that Nawrocki's presidential election is being questioned are still being heard – as argued by Professor Marcin Matczak of the University of Warsaw – but they constitute a minority.
On August 6, the Sejm will be peaceful. A celebration and protest in WarsawAccording to our information, the swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place without disruption or excesses in the parliament itself. However, things could get heated outside the Sejm, where opponents of PiS and Nawrocki will protest. How large will the protests be? They will likely be fewer than the supporters of the president-elect, whom PiS will bring to the capital from all over Poland.
"PiS is planning a celebration in the capital for Karol Nawrocki's inauguration, the likes of which haven't been seen since the days of Józef Piłsudski," a PiS politician told "Rzeczpospolita" in early July. What will happen in Warsaw on August 6th?
A grand parade of PiS supporters with the new presidentAt 10:00 a.m., the president is scheduled to be sworn in in parliament before the National Assembly. A mass is scheduled for noon at the Warsaw Archcathedral, followed by a ceremony at the Royal Castle at 2:00 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., the president will assume command of the Armed Forces during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Piłsudski Square. Following these events, Nawrocki, accompanied by a crowd of his supporters, is expected to proceed to the Presidential Palace.
PiS expects the swearing-in to be not only a new beginning for Karol Nawrocki, but also a new opening for Jarosław Kaczyński's party, which is counting on a return to power.
RP