Do citizens decide? Answer: RPO Wiązek and Deputy Prime Minister Gawkowski

Do you know that you can propose changes to the law? To do that, within 3 months, you must collect 100,000 signatures of support under your bill. You can only collect signatures on paper lists. At a time erstwhile the word "digitization" politicians change by all cases, You're expected to go around houses with a part of paper or stand on the street and collect citizen data. Is there another way? Yeah, you could collect signatures online. But you can't. Why? due to the fact that politicians are afraid you'll be more active. And you will study your ideas.

"Citizens decide – Unused shots (without censorship)" – specified a title has a place that went on the net on 16 January 2013. It spread like a virus. 1 818 450 views – that's how much the place counter on YouTube. See:

It's been 12 years. No government (PO-PSL Coalition; United Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Law of the Republic of Poland 2050) has yet entered a signature over the net under civil bill projects. The presidents, Bronisław Komorowski and Andrzej Duda, besides did not take action on this topic. Minister Andrzej Dera met with us A fewer times, and that's it.

Institute of civilian Affairs is inactive struggling to change. According to the rule “as long as you fight, you are a winner.” Below are any news from the front of our run "Citizens decide".

RPO writes to Deputy Prime Minister

On January 29, 2025, during the Congress, we are talking to the Ombudsman Marcin Wiączek about the situation of citizens who want to collect 100,000 signatures. We point to the deficiency of digitalisation of the collection of signatures.

February 18 RPO writes a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski on the matter. "On the basis of the current law on the implementation of the legislative initiative by citizens, the only expression for the citizen to sign support for the alleged folk initiative is the signature expression of his own hand", says Marcin Wiązek.

The RPO indicates that specified a situation does not fit the present. It is "legislative anachronism".

"Today's government allows citizens to interact with public administrations, for example via ePUAP. In the meantime, there is inactive no anticipation of electronic signatureing support for a citizens' legislative initiative," added the RPO.

Nothing to add, nothing to say. The Ombudsman points to a law which does not meet the needs of citizens. Well, RPO is diplomatic, I don't have to. What's happening is mocking citizens.

In the following part of the letter Wiązek recalls the results of our run "Citizens decide": "It is worth mentioning here, among others. report and Draft amendment to the civilian Legislative Initiative Act prepared by the Institute of civilian Affairs as part of a investigation task implemented in cooperation with the University of Gdańsk and the University of Łódź, financed by the National Centre for investigation and Development".

Marcin Wiązek points out that e-signatures under civilian laws have been utilized by Spanish, Austrian, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Latvian or Finnish, among others.

It besides reminds us that Poles and Poles can already sign online to European Citizens' Initiative. It is simply a tool that allows citizens surviving in 7 different EU countries to change their laws. Provided they collect at least a million signatures.

"The above arguments are inactive valid. This is due to the progressive technological improvement of modern societies, increasingly utilizing digital solutions in place of conventional solutions. It is besides crucial that these digital solutions could contribute to the increased interest of citizens in the institutions of direct democracy", notes the RPO.

All this is clear to all citizen. Anyone another than politicians who, on the 1 hand, has a say in democracy and civic participation and, on the another hand, has been blocking the signature on the net under civilian legislative initiatives for years.

We operate without censorship. We don't advertise, we don't charge for texts. We request your support. Throw yourself in the media.

Ministry of Digital Affairs responds

On 16 March, the government sent a answer to the Ombudsman's letter. Deputy Minister of Digitization Dariusz Standerski writes:

"(...) the call for a citizens' initiative to be digitised was made in the framework of the public consultation of the draft State Digital strategy by nearly 350 people and entities by 2035".

These 350 people and entities are the consequence of our stock “You have no right to sign civilian bill projects over the Internet. Respond!”in which we encouraged you to send an appeal to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digitization Krzysztof Gawkowski. For respective months, we have drawn the Minister's attention to digitising the signature of a citizens' legislative initiative. No result. Our postulate was not included in the Polish Digital strategy project, which has 195 pages.

The deputy minister continues: “In view of the public’s request for improvement in this regard, the Minister of Digital Affairs is considering including the above-mentioned action in 1 of the objectives of the project. knowing the expectations and needs of digitalisation, The Minister of Digitisation envisages work on implementing solutions allowing for the electronic form of implementation of actions in the area of legislative initiative, as well as legislative and legislative initiatives and support for candidates in elections."

Clearly, the officials are starting to get what we've been talking about for thirteen years. Better late than never. We're waiting for specifics.

We talk in the Sejm

On March 25, 2025, we were at the Parliamentary session of the Permanent Subcommittee on the Amendment of Electoral Law. The subject of the gathering was "a discussion on a legislative initiative on an electronic platform to support the list of candidates in the general election". In short, the point is that political parties want to make life easier and sign online, at the fundraisers of signatures under their organization candidates in the election. In the Sejm, a bill on this substance is being drafted: the parliamentary bill bill amending the bill – the electoral code (printing No 556).

The task is accompanied by a number of expert opinions.

"The introduction of electronic signatures in democratic processes allows for increased accessibility for citizens,

improving procedures and minimising the hazard of abuse, becoming 1 of the crucial directions of modernising electoral and participatory systems in the world. Electronic collection of signatures so has many advantages, specified as speed, convenience, simplification of administrative costs or elimination of geographical barriers" – emphasises in his opinion prof. Magdalena Musi-Karg from the Faculty of Political Sciences and Journalism of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

At that meeting, I asked the Deputy Minister of Digitalism Michał Gramatyka 3 questions (see from 5:30:15): (1) What happened to talking about an electronic signature, not a civilian bill proposal, but a letter of support for political parties?; (2) erstwhile the government responds to the appeal of 42 NGOs forming the Working Group on dialog and Participation, in which organisations request amendments to the civilian Legislative Initiative Act; (3) Who is to propose a legislative initiative to facilitate the parties' collection of signatures under the lists of candidates in elections.

I didn't get the answers.

At this point it is worth recalling the debate in Parliament during the first reading of the aforementioned parliamentary bill on amending the bill – the electoral code. The task was discussed at the 17th session of the Sejm on 11 September 2024 (see from 36:36).

During the debate, Marcelin Zawisz and Paulina Matysiak from the Left Club and Małgorzata Tracz and Claudio Jachir from the Civic Coalition proposed adding to the draft the anticipation of signing online under citizens' legislative initiatives. This thought was supported by Mr Witold Tumanovich of the Confederation. In turn, Paweł Kukiz proposed extending the task to include electronic signatures under local and national referendums. And Jarosław Sachajko called for an extension of the legislative initiatives.

The Law and Justice "blowed": he did not request the addition of electronic signatures to the bill under civilian bill projects. Hands and eyelids are dropping. I'll remind you First billboard with Beata Szydło. "Citizens decide which Poland wants" from the 2015 election campaign. The slogan of the Law and Justice “borrowed” from the Institute of civilian Affairs, without question and consent.

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