Referendum On Migrant Relocation Plan Likely To Serve Electoral Purposes

Poland's governing Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that the incumbents want to hold a referendum on the EU's migrant relocation plan, which would penalise countries refusing to accept relocations of asylum seekers.

• Kaczynski told parliament that the scheme "discriminates" Poland after it accepted millions of Ukrainian refugees, arguing that the plan to forcibly distribute migrants among member states violates EU treaties.
• This comes after EU ministers reached a deal to charge member state unwilling to accept migrants EUR20,000 per person to a special refugee fund in order to ease pressure on frontline states, such as Italy and Greece.
• The announcement of an imminent national referendum is likely a tactical move in the ongoing election campaign, in which the ruling party is struggling to ensure a positive outcome, with Kaczynski vowing renewed mobilisation.
• Law and Justice have previously exploited the topic for campaign purposes as it rose to power in 2015. Back then, Kaczynski famously warned that migrants might bring "parasites and protozoa" into the country.
• The details of the referendum are yet to be revealed, but the option of holding it concurrently with the autumn parliamentary election in order to mobilise the party's conservative voter base is on the table.