In accordance with applicable regulations The election silence prohibits the electoral agitation, publishing polls and organizing assemblies. It will last until the electoral premises will be closed on Sunday, i.e. 21.
“Policemen monitor the network on an ongoing basis, and each of these cases is thoroughly analyzed and sent in accordance with the property to the territorial unit in which the offenses were committed” – sub -commissioner Iwona Kijowska from the Police Headquarters informed.
So far it has been found 15 cases of violation of these rules. Most of the incidents took place in the internet space.
Examples of violation of election silence
Among the reported cases were violations committed by MPs. On the social profile of the deputy minister of justice Arkadiusz Myrcha, a graphics were published on Saturday morning encouraging to vote for a specific candidate. The politician later explained on portal X that the publication was the result of a technical error, for which he apologized by removing the post.
Similar actions were taken by MP of the Civic Coalition Piotr Głowski, who on social networking site X published an entry on elections. The politician assured that the material was originally placed on Friday evening, and the platform incorrectly published it again on Saturday morning. “To be sure that someone can interpret it differently – I delete the entry” – he added on his profile.
The ban on agitation during the election silence includes both active encouragement to vote for a specific candidate, as well as organizing public speeches or disseminating electoral materials. It also means that you must not conduct agitation on the Internet, although the neutral incentive itself is not prohibited to participate in elections.
What's more, agitation in polling stations is also prohibited, including by displaying symbols or signs related to specific candidates. It is also a violation of the election silence to publish the results of the polls, for which they threaten High financial penalties – from 500 thousand PLN up to PLN 1 million. This applies to both public opinion research before the election and exit poll results.
As the National Electoral Commission reminds, the final decisions regarding whether there has been a breach of regulations can only be made by law enforcement and courts.
