Poland’s president likely to veto changes to election rules

Poland’s president will likely veto changes, proposed by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), designed to benefit big political parties in the 2019 elections to the European Parliament. In July, the Polish parliament approved an altered election rule that favors big parties like PiS and the biggest opposition group Civic Platform (PO) while disadvantaging smaller groups or individuals, Reuters said. “I do not see a need of such a fundamental limitation of access to the European Parliament. In practice this eliminates smaller parties. I question this from the democratic point of view,” Dziennik Gazeta Prawna quoted Andrzej Duda as saying in an interview. “I am strongly inclined to block this proposal.” Duda is a PiS ally but his potential veto would mark another twist in his relations with the ruling party.