Rzeczpospolita Polska
The President of Poland stood behind the podium and straightened his tie as cameras flashed and recorded, he smiled briefly as he organized the papers for the press-conference that was about to take place. The recent election in 2020 had put further wind in the sails of the Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc, or Law and Justice party as the margin of it's supermajority has increased, if slightly, in both the Upper and Lower House of the Polish Parliament. This was despite highly controversial amendments to the judicial system introduced earlier which had resulted in outrage from the main opposition party, the KO-PO and other opposition parties as well as several EU institutions. Kaczynski however saw it as a necessary step for the nation to take, he was committed to the idea of "sanation" from any vestiges of what the PiS saw of the Communist past while the opposition was content with "letting the past be the past". However, with it's supermajorities the PiS had been able to realize it's vision for Poland, a vision that apparently still resonated with a Polish public caught up in a rightist zeitgeist. Kaczynski and the rest of the PiS inner circle was in agreement that Poland needed a bold vision and a great united effort to fully unleash the country's still dormant potential. Poland needed to be guided down a path toward a prosperous future, it needed to capitalize on it's current advantages in order to secure it's future prosperity, Kaczynski made sure to pave the way, then it would be up to his protegé Duda to finish it.
"My friends and countrymen." The President said firmly. "Fellow people of Poland. The time that our party has been in power has been a time of great progress for us as a nation. Our economy has grown thanks to the continued economic reforms, social reforms and infrastructural investments. We plan that by 2026 we will have closed most, if not all gaps in our highway, expressway and railway networks finish the great work that began in 2017. Our economy is maturing to the point where we can slowly stop only trying to catch up with the West and can finally begin charting our own course toward wealth and success. By most estimates, our GDP per capita when adjusted for purchasing power can rise as high as 42 500 dollars by the end of 2024, surpassing nations such as Portugal. This government shall do all it can to make such a future reality for us. We shall invest in our safety and our national defense capabilities to project a credible deterrence possible belligerence, bringing our Land Force, Air Force and Navy fully into the 21'st century. Under my administration national defense will remain a key priority. I shall also give significant attention to law enforcement so that we and our children may live our lives in safety and peace. But one of the most pressing matters is the fact that Poland is aging and this trend must be tackled if we are to sustain our economy and unique culture. The pro-family programs instituted under the Duda Administration and post-Brexit re-migration of the British Polonia done some to alleviate this problem but it is clear that further measures need to be taken." Jaroslaw said and turned the page of notes.
"The budget set forth for the 2022-2024 mandate will go down in history as the budget of the family. We aim to have one of the most comprehensive family-support policies in OCED, studying in particular the French, Scandinavian and most recent Hungarian systems which all have benefits and drawbacks, we have tried to isolate and combine the most beneficial factors from each. 750 million Zlotys will be allocated to the public healthcare system and specifically earmarked to improve the quality and availability of maternity care throughout the country, no woman should have to worry about being far from specialized medical care associated with her pregnancy. There shall be a new system of monthly family allowance replacing the old 500+ Program in order to provide greater help to Polish families and children, especially those of poor backgrounds. For far too long many parties with a similar orientation to our own have seen a discussion on family policy as a non-starter, with family policy simply seen as a policy of government hand-outs. We shall break this mold, our close allies in Hungary have done so and so shall we. Thus, the government will take extensive and comprehensive measures in order to help and support the family, the bedrock that every society is built upon. According to a poll by Eurobarometer, in most European countries the number of children that families intend to have is is not only high enough to avert any drastic population ageing in the foreseeable future and would largely be sufficient to replace the current working-age population in most developed nations. Unfortunately, the actual number of births is lower than the intended one. The reason why families have so few children is multi-faceted, but often come down to material or time-scheduling obstacles. Thus efforts shall be made to help provision of pre-school childcare as part of the public system. The government will do what it can to help Polish families cope with the challenges they face in the modern world." The President said in a firm tone of voice before turning yet another page as the assembled journalists scribbled notes.
"Poland has a great amount of economic potential waiting to truly be utilized and the policies of this government will aim to do just that. It is imperative that our country adopts an aggressive and dynamic series of policies designed to capitalize on Poland's current-day economic advantages to pave the way to a prosperous future for our children and avoid stagnation by relying too much on old methods. If we do not waste these coming years, Poland can rise to become one of the main growth engines of the EU, attaining the similar levels of development and wealth as Southern European nations like Spain or Italy within a short time. We will do our utmost to make this a reality and programs are planned to make our country the third largest process manufacturer in the EU. To make Poland a major food supplier for Western Europe by tending to the neglected agricultural sector, to create over 600 000 jobs in advanced business services and to salvage and future-proof the struggling Polish mining sector. All of this is possible and needed if Poland is the be anything but a regionally focused middle-economy. We shall adopt an accelerated growth policy, catch up with the advanced economies and become a globally competitive nation with internationally recognized brands. We shall take the measures needed to close the productivity-gap within crucial sectors such as mining, agriculture and energy while expanding high-potential sectors like advanced business services, process manufacturing and food processing." Kaczynski said, pausing for a second before once more letting his voice be heard. "We are at a unique moment in our history, our country has the means and resources to begin a new phase of it's life, the revitalize itself and grow. A point has been reached when we cannot rely on the invisible hand, we require ambitious plans and bold execution of them to achieve new heights. I shall focus the efforts of my administration to make our plans reality and to deepen our ties with our allies near and far, working closely within the framework of NATO, the Visegrad Group and the European Union while furthering our diplomatic outreach across the world to nations such as Great Britain and the United States. With hard work and determined political will, our comprehensive program can become reality, thank you ladies and gentlemen."
Policymakers at Work
Sejm votes:
AYE: 235.
NAY: 225.
Senate votes:
AYE: 55.
NAY: 45.
The bill is passed.
Sejm votes:
AYE: 272.
NAY: 188.
Senate votes:
AYE: 58.
NAY: 42.
The bill is passed.
Sejm votes:
AYE: 284.
NAY: 176.
Senate votes:
AYE: 59.
NAY: 41.
The bill is passed.
AYE: 320.
NAY: 140.
Senate votes:
AYE: 68.
NAY: 32.
The bill is passed.
Foreign Policy Moves
