KO Caucus chief Borys Budka has said his grouping will tell the public that PiS is using their money to sway voter opinion in the referendum.
Rafał Guz/PAP

The head of Polish opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO)’s caucus has accused the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party of using taxpayers’ money to “create propaganda” ahead of a referendum to be held alongside the upcoming general election.

Poland goes to the polls on October 15 to choose the next government while a referendum will be held simultaneously.

KO Caucus chief Borys Budka has said his grouping will tell the public that PiS is using their money to sway voter opinion in the referendum.

Political parties, foundations, associations and social organisations are entitled to free airtime on state-owned media for the referendum campaign but had to inform the state electoral commission by September 5 of their intention to use it.

In addition to the main political parties, a desire to run referendum campaigns was also declared by the foundations of State Treasury companies including railway group PKP, insurer PZU, energy companies PGE and ENEA and bank PKO.

Budka told a Wednesday press conference that the foundations of some of Poland’s biggest state-owned companies had announced their participation in “PiS’s referendum campaign.”

“It is incredible to engage foundations that are maintained by Polish taxpayers to take part in this PiS referendum, and in fact the PiS election campaign,” Budka said, adding that the referendum was in fact nothing more than an extension of PiS’s electioneering.

He went on to say that after the election, “every person who took part in the financing of PiS propaganda with (public) money must be held to account.”