Parliament backs government referendum planParliament backs government referendum plan. "Do you support raising the retirement age?"

Poland’s lower house of parliament has passed a government motion on a national referendum, which is due to be held on the same day as the general election, October 15.

Following a debate, 233 MPs voted for the motion, 211 against and eight abstained.

The four-question referendum will cover a proposed EU migrant relocation scheme, the sale of state assets, the future of a fence on the Polish-Belarusian border and the retirement age.

The government has said the referendum gives Poles the chance to have voice on key issues. But the opposition has dismissed it as nothing more than electioneering by the governing Law and Justice party

Following Thursday’s vote the motion will now go to parliament’s Legislative Committee, which will prepare a draft resolution on holding the referendum. The draft prepared by the committee may not change the content of the questions.

The first question in the planned referendum, as approved by the cabinet, will read: „Do you support the sell-off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of control by Polish women and men over strategic sectors of the economy?”

In the second question, Poles will be asked: „Do you support raising the retirement age, including restoring the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women?”

The third question will inquire: „Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Belarus?”

The fourth question is: „Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?”

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