Defeat on virus law shows rifts in Poland’s ruling coalition

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Analysts say a defeated parliament vote on a proposed COVID-19 law pushed by Poland’s deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has exposed deep divisions within the country’s ruling right-wing coalition. Some 61 lawmakers from the ruling coalition led by Kaczynski’s Law and Justice party abstained or voted against the law mandating free COVID-19 testing for employees, while 15 others simply skipped the vote. Analysts said Wednesday the result marked an unprecedented degree of dissent within the ruling coalition and poses a challenge to the leadership of Kaczynski, Poland’s most powerful politician. The vote came as Poland is facing a surge in daily infections driven by the omicron variant.