男儿本色

Huge turnout in Poland's decisive election, highest since 1919_我的网站

A |     From 7 a.m. onward Sunday, ballot boxes in Poland started filling up so fast that spare ones had to be dusted off and more ballots needed to be printed. No one had anticipated such long lines throughout the country.Voting was to end at 9 p.m., but by law, polling stations stayed open to accept all who queued up, and the last one closed at 5 a.m. Monday. Some voters braved the night chill for up to eight hours to cast their vote.This resulted in a record turnout of nearly 74% -- highest voter turnout in Poland since 1919 and even higher than that of the first free elections after the fall of communism in 1989.The high turnout confirmed that millions of Poles agree these parliamentary elections may have been the most decisive in the last three decades. Either they would allow the ruling right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party to extend its eight-year hold on power for another four-year term, or they would opt for the return of a liberal democracy.Late poll figures univocally indicate that opposition parties stand a realistic chance to form Poland's next government.The PiS conservatives currently in power took 36% of the vote, but that doesn't translate into a seat majority in parliament, which would allow it to form a Cabinet. Latest polls show they would have 196 deputies in the 460-seat legislature as opposed to 249 seats won by the broad Civic Coalition of opposition parties led by Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council.Sunday's vote was a confrontation of two radically different visions of Poland's future.Conditioned by PiS propaganda that has continually been exploiting fears, PiS supporters claim only that party can secure Poland's sovereignty and protect its interests. The threat of illegal migrants is perhaps the most unifying emotion binding the PiS electorate.Supporters see PiS as their only protector from the alleged dominance of European Union bureaucrats in Brussels and their meddling in Polish affairs.PiS voters turn a blind eye to the fact that the country began to drift toward authoritarian rule, authorities neglect the EU's legal norms and the country continues on a collision course with the Union. Some €36 billion of EU COVID pandemic recovery funds have been frozen in a row over PiS judicial reforms. Many observers believe another PiS term would result in Poland leaving the European Union.Germany, Poland's by far most important trade partner and neighbor, is presented as another source of fear and the country is made out to be an ally of Russia, Poland's greatest foe throughout centuries. But if it's not the threat of German capital buying out Polish industry, then it's the threat of moral decay.In order to appeal to radical voters who accuse the government of extending excessive welfare to Ukrainian refugees, authorities cynically strained relations with Kyiv.PiS voters declare the fear that if the party loses, the next government would take away the generous social benefits PiS guaranteed, such as 14 pensions, child care payments and early retirement.Those who Sunday voted for parties forming the anti-PiS coalition declare they voted for a Poland securely rooted in the European Union.In radio and TV street interviews, they say they want to see Poland mend its strained relations with neighbors, particularly Germany and Ukraine.They do not want to see the Catholic Church influencing state affairs.Sixty-four percent of those polled declare they're in favor of same-sex marriages, and 70% want the new government to liberalize the current strict anti-abortion law.It is uncertain whether Poland's new government will be prepared to meet the more liberal postulates voters expect. The potential ruling coalition's unifying factor is its pro-democratic, pro-EU, anti-PiS stance. Other than that, they often differ in their proposed policies and outlook. They're a broad coalition composed of parties spanning from the far left to liberal conservative.The Civic Coalition's clear victory makes it the only faction in parliament able to constitute Poland's new government. But first, Polish President Andrzej Duda, a PiS nominee, will need to designate a prime minister. Most likely, against the odds, he will name a PiS candidate. That candidate will have little realistic chance of being approved by parliament, and Poland may be faced with many weeks of squabbling and chaos. Constitutionalists predict it may not be until December that Poland gets its new government.。

B |     

China's Embassy in the Philippines on Saturday rejected Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.'s renewed allegations over 70 Chinese workers at a steel plant in Mindanao who were arrested and later released, citing a prosecutorial resolution ordering their release while questioning the military's involvement, the workers' harsh detention conditions and possible selective law enforcement.
The statement came after Teodoro, who was sanctioned by China in June, accused the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday of continuing to evade what he called the "crucial issue": whether the Chinese nationals arrested in the Philippines were involved in illegal activities, and whether Chinese embassy officials have intervened in local law enforcement processes, according to Philstar.
Ji Lingpeng, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, directly addressed both questions in Saturday's statement.
Ji noted that a May 28 resolution by Philippine prosecution authorities had found insufficient evidence to support allegations against the workers and ordered all 70 Chinese nationals to be released.
"Yet Teodoro continues to accuse them of engaging in illegal activities in the Philippines. Does he respect the rule of law and the decisions of the judiciary?" Ji asked.
Ji also questioned whether violations of Philippine law should be determined by the defense secretary or the country's judicial authorities.
"Secretary Teodoro's remarks are completely unfounded. They distort the facts and turn black into white," Ji said.
The embassy raised multiple questions about the May operation, which Ji said Teodoro had instructed the Philippine armed forces to join. The spokesperson asked why unarmed workers rather than those responsible for managing the plant had been detained, why only Chinese workers were arrested while Filipino employees were released at the scene, and why the Chinese nationals were transported to Manila aboard a military aircraft.
The embassy also said some workers had been instructed to put on personal protective equipment and pose for photographs during the raid, which were subsequently used in publicity surrounding the case.
Responding to Teodoro's claim that the embassy had intervened in Philippine law enforcement, Ji said anyone with a basic understanding of diplomacy would know that protecting the safety and legitimate rights and interests of its nationals is a fundamental responsibility of an embassy.
"Regardless of the reason a Chinese national is detained, the Chinese Embassy has the right and responsibility to conduct consular visits, provide consular protection, make communication with and demarches to relevant Philippine law-enforcement authorities to ensure humane, fair and just treatment of detained Chinese nationals," Ji said.
"We fully respect the Philippines' judicial sovereignty and the lawful handling of cases by its relevant law-enforcement authorities," Ji said. "If solid evidence proves a foreign national is in violation of Philippine law, he or she shall be brought to justice in accordance with the law. The same is true in China. However, we firmly oppose any discriminatory or selective law enforcement campaigns targeting Chinese nationals by the Philippine side out of political considerations."
The Philippine Department of National Defense responded in a separate statement on Sunday, claiming that "The Chinese Embassy's response does not contain any answers," adding that "this is, in legal practice, an implied admission of culpability," according to Inquirer.net.
All 70 Chinese nationals associated with the steel plant in Mindanao have been released, Xinhua News Agency reported in June. The Manila Times reported that they were released after authorities cited insufficient evidence of specific immigration and labor violations.
Renewing allegations against the Chinese workers after their release for insufficient evidence lacks justification, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Having a defense secretary personally direct the armed forces to participate in an operation targeting civilian workers departs from normal law enforcement procedures, Chen said. Teodoro's continued politicization of the case after the workers' release reflects an intensification of anti-China agitation by certain forces in the Philippines, he noted.
Selective investigations and enforcement targeting Chinese nationals are driven not by law but by political manipulation designed to cater to domestic anti-China sentiment, Chen said.
The trend shows that anti-China forces represented by Teodoro intend to continue fomenting hostility toward China, shaping negative public perceptions and provoking antagonism between the peoples of the two countries, with serious consequences for bilateral relations, he added.
The resulting hostile environment could also have severe negative consequences for Chinese investment in the Philippines and normal people-to-people exchanges, he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that "it's learned that it was exactly this defense secretary who personally led the armed forces to seize and detain Chinese nationals lawfully working in the Philippines. This person's consistent attacks and smears against China harm not only the bilateral relations. It is the interests of the Philippines and all its people that will bear the brunt."
。

Current article:http://0wpi9.cuntoujuefourantapai.cfd/ze7g/kc7k.html

Published on:15:32:48