Outrage built in Poland over the weekend after the ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was accused of being out of touch following his remarks made on Saturday which partly blamed the country's low birth rate on young women drinking too much alcohol.&nbsp;

“If, for example, the situation remains such that, until the age of 25, girls, young women, drink the same amount as their peers, there will be no children,” said the 73-year-old politician. He also claimed that for an average man to become an alcoholic, he would have to “drink excessively for 20 years” but “a woman only two.”

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These remarks have since drawn widespread criticism from opposition politicians, activists as well as celebrities some of whom have in turn partly blamed the leader of the ruling party, Law and Justice, and his policies.&nbsp;

This includes increased restrictions on abortion which have discouraged some women who sought to have children, while others have reportedly cited difficulties in raising a family amid Poland’s soaring inflation which is reaching nearly 18%.&nbsp;

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On Monday, leftwing politician Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, while speaking to the reporters called Kaczynski “a patriarchal old geezer” and said we could laugh and joke about this but “it’s a serious, tragic matter.” While a lawmaker with the liberal Civic Coalition (KO), Katarzyna Lubnauer, called the 73-year-old “out of touch” and dubbed his remarks nonsensical and “insulting to women”.

Meanwhile, Women's Strike, a rights group in Poland, said that there are many reasons for the country's low birthrate, including its de facto prohibition of abortion, lack of access to sexual education and in vitro procedures, inflation, housing shortage and so on. The traditionally Roman Catholic country has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe which allowed very few abortions before 2020.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-abortion-apex-court-bans-almost-all-terminations-337480">Poland abortion: Apex court bans almost all terminations</a>

However, a new ruling women can no longer terminate pregnancies even in cases of the fetus having serious abnormalities and is not viable after birth, which sparked protests across the country. According to data from the World Bank, the number of births per woman in the central European nation declined from three children per woman in 1960 to 1.2 in 2003.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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Outrage built in Poland over the weekend after the ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was accused of being out of touch following his remarks made on Saturday which partly blamed the country's low birth rate on young women drinking too much alcohol.

Outrage built in Poland over the weekend after the ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was accused of being out of touch following his remarks made on Saturday which partly blamed the country's low birth rate on young women drinking too much alcohol. “If, for example, the situation remains such that, until the age of 25, girls, young women, drink the same amount as their peers, there will be no children,” said the 73-year-old politician. He also claimed that for an average man to become an alcoholic, he would have to “drink excessively for 20 years” but “a woman only two.” ALSO READ: Poland marches against abortion law after pregnant woman dies in hospital for want of care These remarks have since drawn widespread criticism from opposition politicians, activists as well as celebrities some of whom have in turn partly blamed the leader of the ruling party, Law and Justice, and his policies. This includes increased restrictions on abortion which have discouraged some women who sought to have children, while others have reportedly cited difficulties in raising a family amid Poland’s soaring inflation which is reaching nearly 18%. ALSO WATCH: Poland : Protests erupt over abortion law On Monday, leftwing politician Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, while speaking to the reporters called Kaczynski “a patriarchal old geezer” and said we could laugh and joke about this but “it’s a serious, tragic matter.” While a lawmaker with the liberal Civic Coalition (KO), Katarzyna Lubnauer, called the 73-year-old “out of touch” and dubbed his remarks nonsensical and “insulting to women”. Meanwhile, Women's Strike, a rights group in Poland, said that there are many reasons for the country's low birthrate, including its de facto prohibition of abortion, lack of access to sexual education and in vitro procedures, inflation, housing shortage and so on. The traditionally Roman Catholic country has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe which allowed very few abortions before 2020. ALSO READ: Poland abortion: Apex court bans almost all terminations However, a new ruling women can no longer terminate pregnancies even in cases of the fetus having serious abnormalities and is not viable after birth, which sparked protests across the country. According to data from the World Bank, the number of births per woman in the central European nation declined from three children per woman in 1960 to 1.2 in 2003. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Poland: Politician blames low birthrate on young women drinking alcohol, sparks outrage

Poland's governing right-wing party is poised to win a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lgbt-community-under-fire-ahead-of-elections-in-poland-254446">general election on Sunday</a>, buoyed by generous social spending and fiery nationalist rhetoric, but its majority is at risk, giving opposition parties a narrow chance to snatch power.

In office since 2015 and led by ex-premier Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Law and Justice (PiS) party has sought to mobilise mainly poorer rural voters by coupling family values with populist promises to extend benefits and hike the minimum wage.

Kaczynski, widely regarded as Poland's de facto leader, has led a highly polarising campaign, attacking sexual minorities and rejecting Western liberal values, all with the tacit blessing of Poland's influential Catholic church which holds sway over rural voters. &nbsp;

The Civic Coalition (KO), supported by outgoing EU Council President Donald Tusk -- Kaczynski's arch-rival -- has rallied mainly urban voters upset by the PiS's divisive politics, judicial reforms threatening the rule of law and high-profile graft scandals.&nbsp;

Railing against the PiS's anti-LGBT views and its close ties to the church, but sharing its welfare goals, left-wing parties are poised to return to parliament after a four-year hiatus.&nbsp;

Surveys also suggest two smaller groups could win seats, including the far-right.&nbsp;

"The electorate is split down the middle, with around 45 per cent each for the PiS and the centrist and leftist opposition," Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a Warsaw University political scientist, told AFP.

"Turnout will decide whether the PiS will govern alone, whether it will have to build a coalition, or even if it might lose its majority," she added.

'Promises kept'

The PiS has capitalised on a growing populist backlash against liberal urban elites, similar to trends in Western Europe and the US.&nbsp;

Its generous social programmes have sought to appeal to Poles who felt they reaped little gain from Poland's explosive growth after it shed communism in 1989.&nbsp;

"Our great social program has led to the fact that the sphere of poverty, often extreme misery... has been abolished," Kaczynski, 70, told supporters at a Warsaw rally this week, calling it "our moral achievement."

"PiS has done a great deal of good for families, pensioners, for children... they've kept their promises," Malgorzata Kowalska, 66, a retired orphanage employee told AFP as she left a Warsaw church.

But a recent study shows that while extreme poverty dropped slightly in 2016-17 to just over four per cent it rebounded to 5.4 per cent in 2018 as inflation rose. &nbsp;

Joanna, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother raising three girls receives 1,500 zloty (350 euro, $380) per month in child benefits, She says the cash-in-hand won't sway her.

"Regardless of how much they'll give, I'll never vote for the PiS," said the formerly self-employed psychology graduate, slamming the party's "contempt for Poles who don't fit the stereotype of traditional Catholics."

'Clean up politics'

Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, the even-tempered 62-year-old deputy speaker of parliament chosen by the KO as its candidate for prime minister, has sought to provide a clear alternative to Kaczynski's polarising campaign.

"Let's clean up politics, free Poles from hatred, hypocrisy and political toxins," she told supporters in Warsaw this week.

The KO opposition has vowed to reverse controversial PiS judicial reforms which the EU says threaten judicial independence and the rule of law but has otherwise offered voters little.

According to Laurent Pech, a professor of European law at Middlesex University in the UK, threats to the rule of law in Poland are bound to "significantly worsen" should PiS return to power.

Kaczynski's plans for a "future 'reorganisation' of the courts are likely to mean a purge of the Polish judiciary under false pretences which will lead in turn to a renewed open conflict with the EU," he told AFP via email.

Most migrants

On the economic front, Poland has fared well with strong growth under the PiS, something critics attribute to favourable external factors.

Joblessness hit a 30-year record low of 5.1 per cent in September as employers struggled to find workers.&nbsp;

Despite the PiS's strident anti-migrant rhetoric in the campaign ahead of its stunning 2015 victory, Poland became the world's top temporary labour destination in 2017, surpassing even the US, according to the OECD.

Some 1.2 million temporary migrants arrived, mostly from Ukraine, to plug a massive labour gap created when Poles left for more lucrative work in the West after joining the EU in 2004.

Voting runs from 0500 to 1900 GMT on Sunday, with exit polls expected after the polls close and preliminary results due on Monday.

Poland's governing right-wing party is poised to win a general election on Sunday, buoyed by generous social spending and fiery nationalist rhetoric, but its majority is at risk, giving opposition parties a narrow chance to snatch power.

Poland's governing right-wing party is poised to win a general election on Sunday, buoyed by generous social spending and fiery nationalist rhetoric, but its majority is at risk, giving opposition parties a narrow chance to snatch power. In office since 2015 and led by ex-premier Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Law and Justice (PiS) party has sought to mobilise mainly poorer rural voters by coupling family values with populist promises to extend benefits and hike the minimum wage. Kaczynski, widely regarded as Poland's de facto leader, has led a highly polarising campaign, attacking sexual minorities and rejecting Western liberal values, all with the tacit blessing of Poland's influential Catholic church which holds sway over rural voters. The Civic Coalition (KO), supported by outgoing EU Council President Donald Tusk -- Kaczynski's arch-rival -- has rallied mainly urban voters upset by the PiS's divisive politics, judicial reforms threatening the rule of law and high-profile graft scandals. Railing against the PiS's anti-LGBT views and its close ties to the church, but sharing its welfare goals, left-wing parties are poised to return to parliament after a four-year hiatus. Surveys also suggest two smaller groups could win seats, including the far-right. "The electorate is split down the middle, with around 45 per cent each for the PiS and the centrist and leftist opposition," Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a Warsaw University political scientist, told AFP. "Turnout will decide whether the PiS will govern alone, whether it will have to build a coalition, or even if it might lose its majority," she added. 'Promises kept' The PiS has capitalised on a growing populist backlash against liberal urban elites, similar to trends in Western Europe and the US. Its generous social programmes have sought to appeal to Poles who felt they reaped little gain from Poland's explosive growth after it shed communism in 1989. "Our great social program has led to the fact that the sphere of poverty, often extreme misery... has been abolished," Kaczynski, 70, told supporters at a Warsaw rally this week, calling it "our moral achievement." "PiS has done a great deal of good for families, pensioners, for children... they've kept their promises," Malgorzata Kowalska, 66, a retired orphanage employee told AFP as she left a Warsaw church. But a recent study shows that while extreme poverty dropped slightly in 2016-17 to just over four per cent it rebounded to 5.4 per cent in 2018 as inflation rose. Joanna, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother raising three girls receives 1,500 zloty (350 euro, $380) per month in child benefits, She says the cash-in-hand won't sway her. "Regardless of how much they'll give, I'll never vote for the PiS," said the formerly self-employed psychology graduate, slamming the party's "contempt for Poles who don't fit the stereotype of traditional Catholics." 'Clean up politics' Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, the even-tempered 62-year-old deputy speaker of parliament chosen by the KO as its candidate for prime minister, has sought to provide a clear alternative to Kaczynski's polarising campaign. "Let's clean up politics, free Poles from hatred, hypocrisy and political toxins," she told supporters in Warsaw this week. The KO opposition has vowed to reverse controversial PiS judicial reforms which the EU says threaten judicial independence and the rule of law but has otherwise offered voters little. According to Laurent Pech, a professor of European law at Middlesex University in the UK, threats to the rule of law in Poland are bound to "significantly worsen" should PiS return to power. Kaczynski's plans for a "future 'reorganisation' of the courts are likely to mean a purge of the Polish judiciary under false pretences which will lead in turn to a renewed open conflict with the EU," he told AFP via email. Most migrants On the economic front, Poland has fared well with strong growth under the PiS, something critics attribute to favourable external factors. Joblessness hit a 30-year record low of 5.1 per cent in September as employers struggled to find workers. Despite the PiS's strident anti-migrant rhetoric in the campaign ahead of its stunning 2015 victory, Poland became the world's top temporary labour destination in 2017, surpassing even the US, according to the OECD. Some 1.2 million temporary migrants arrived, mostly from Ukraine, to plug a massive labour gap created when Poles left for more lucrative work in the West after joining the EU in 2004. Voting runs from 0500 to 1900 GMT on Sunday, with exit polls expected after the polls close and preliminary results due on Monday.

Poland's populists set for victory but majority at risk

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