Poland’s president re-elected vows to 'protect the family'

Reelected President On His Knees

Poland In 

10.06.2020,
Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a programme document called the “Family Card” on Wednesday. It includes guarantees of pro-family benefits and entries protecting the institution of the marriage.

“The Family is a foundation of the society and requires special protection from the state,” the President said on Wednesday, adding that support for the family and marriage as a relationship between a woman and a man, and for motherhood is guaranteed by the constitution. 

“The Family Card shows precisely those basic elements in which I undertake to protect the family as such and to protect the interests of the family,” the Polish President said. 

“There is not and never will be a marriage of any other kind than the relation of a man and a woman. There is no approval for the adoption of children by the same-sex couples. This is a foreign ideology and there is no possibility that such an occurrence could function in our country,” Mr Duda said. 

He also stressed the importance of the financial support for the families, mentioning the child benefit programme Family 500+, under which every child in a family receives PLN 500 (EUR 111.95) every month, as well as the school benefit 300+ and support programme for mothers MamaPlus. 

He also pointed to his recently announced PLN 500 tourist voucher for every child to be used by Polish families for holidays amid the crisis and vowed special support for families raising children with disabilities 

This point of the document also concerns support for families raising children with disabilities. The President has also obliged himself to help single parents who raise their children on their own. 

Another issue covered by the Card is support for pensioners. The President wants the lowered retirement age (65 for men, 60 for women) to be maintained along with free medicines for people over 75, as well as with benefits for grandparents helping raise children.