Potapowicz revealed that he had already received about 400 declarations from Nowoczesna members, out of the 800 people associated with the party.. He noted that the process of collecting documents is ongoing and declarations are still coming from various regions. According to the former secretary's estimates, the final number of Nowoczesna members who will join KO may range from 700 to 800 people.
— Most members will decide to join the Civic Coalition, Potapowicz said.
Liquidation and debts of Nowoczesna
The formal commencement of the liquidation process of Nowoczesna will take place after the court approves the resolution to dissolve the party. Michał Prądzyński, appointed as the party's liquidator, explained that only then would it be possible to accurately estimate the party's financial liabilities. Currently, Nowoczesna's debts are estimated at less than PLN 2 million, of which approximately PLN 1 million is a bank loan and several hundred thousand zlotys are arrears for broadcasting election spots on television..
– We do not expect any other obligations – said Prądzyński, adding that any disputes regarding amounts or interest will be resolved by the court.
When the decision to dissolve the party was made, its account contained only several hundred thousand zlotys. Prądzyński predicts that the repayment of liabilities to two creditors will cover from one third to one half of the total debt. The rest, as former vice-chairman of Nowoczesna, Witold Zembaczyński, pointed out, creditors will have to recognize as a loss. The liquidator also noted that the party's fixed assets, such as office equipment, may be sold to offset the debt, although he does not expect this to generate significant financial resources..
— The process of liquidation of political parties in Poland does not have a long history, so it will be necessary to develop solutions under court supervision, Prądzyński added.
Nowoczesna's financial problems
Nowoczesna's financial problems date back to 2015, when the group took out a PLN 2 million loan for its election campaign. The funds were transferred directly to the account of the election committee, bypassing the Election Fund, which violated the regulations. As a result, the National Electoral Commission rejected the party's financial report, depriving it of state subsidies. Nowoczesna was also unable to settle its obligations for broadcasting election spots on Telewizja Polsat.
Read also: Nowoczesna's “failure” will deprive it of almost PLN 5 million. The Supreme Court had no doubts
The changes in the Civic Coalition were approved during the National Civic Platform Convention, which took place on October 25. The group adopted a new name – Civic Coalition – and changed its statute to allow activists of Nowoczesna and Inicjatywa Polska to join the party, which is to be dissolved at the congress scheduled for November 15.
After accepting new members, the Civic Coalition will hold elections of authorities – from the heads of groups, counties and regions, to national authorities. The electoral process is expected to end in early January, provided that the court approves changes to the group's statute and name in the register of political parties.
