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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 12 OctOber 2019
At a glance: Key factors in a critical Polish election

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Poles, many of them state
VANESSA GERA and military leaders from
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — their conservative camp.
Poles vote Sunday for 460 The 70-year-old only wears
lawmakers in the lower black in public to this day
house of parliament, the in a sign of his continued
Sejm, and for 100 in the mourning.
Senate, for four-year terms. ___
It is considered by many to WHO WILL WIN?
be the most momentous Kaczynski's Law and Justice
election in Poland since party, which leans right on
the Central European na- social issues but has adopt-
tion threw off communism ed a left-wing economic
30 years ago. program of generous wel-
___ fare spending, is far ahead
WHAT'S AT STAKE? of all other parties. Recent
Supporters of the ruling con- polls give it between 40
servative Law and Justice and 45%, with the second-
party, which is far ahead in strongest force, the centrist
the polls, see the vote as a and pro-EU Civic Coalition,
chance to maintain gener- around 25%. An alliance of
ous monthly social benefits three left-wing parties has
that have raised their living polled between 10 and
standards. They also ap- 15%. The ultimate power ar-
prove of the way it has put In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 8, 2019 a supporter of Poland's ruling right-wing party is holding a rangement will depend on
a conservative mark on the photo of one of the Law and Justice party's candidates at a convention in Warsaw, Poland. whether Law and Justice
nation at a time of liberal- Associated Press obtains a majority of seats
izing and secularizing influ- in the Sejm, or if it needs a
ences from the West. Crit- employed rhetoric that re- ski is Poland's most power- ry. Duda has rarely vetoed coalition partner. The Civic
ics, however, say the party peatedly targeted minori- ful politician even though laws passed by Law and Coalition and the leftwing
has carried out a relentless ties and liberals, depicting he has no formal role in Justice, and the party has alliance have been very
attack on the country's them as threats or as disloy- the government. Under gained control of the Con- critical of Law and Justice
constitutional order. The al to the nation. Some fear his leadership, in 2015, the stitutional Tribunal, which and are unlikely to be part-
most serious accusation the country's democracy party won ruling majority allows it to pass its laws with ners. If those two groups do
centers on an overhaul of will be irreparable dam- power unprecedented in little fear of seeing them better together than Law
the justice system that has aged if the conservatives the post-communist era. struck down. Kaczynski's and Justice, a possible out-
also been condemned by win another four-year man- First, the party's candidate, dominance follows a peri- come could involve them
the European Union and date. Andrzej Duda, who was od of personal tragedy: his teaming up to keep Kac-
human rights organizations. ___ hand-picked by Kaczynski, identical twin brother Presi- zynski's party out of power
Critics also stress that the A STRONG LEADER won the presidency. Then a dent Lech Kaczynski died — a prospect that seems
party uses public media to Law and Justice party few months later came the in a plane crash in Russia unlikely but has energized
denigrate rivals, and has leader Jaroslaw Kaczyn- party's parliamentary victo- in 2010 along with 95 other liberal voters.q

Police arrest UK stabbing suspect on suspicion of terrorism

By DANICA KIRKA Grande at Manchester woman came in and told
Associated Press Arena, a venue only few others that "a guy just ran
LONDON (AP) — A man hundred meters away. past the shop and tried to
wielding a large knife who The Manchester Arena stab me."
allegedly lunged at shop- bombing caused wide- "Luckily she had quite a
pers and chased unarmed spread anguish in part be- thick jacket — she thought
police in a northwestern cause so many of the dead originally it was a fake knife
England mall was arrested and wounded were young because of how easily it
Friday on suspicion of ter- fans of Grande, a pop grazed off," he said. "But
rorism. star with massive following police came in and said
Five people were hurt, among teenage girls. it was a real knife and she
three of whom needed Witnesses of Friday's attack burst into tears."
hospital treatment for stab described the distress of The suspect was originally
wounds, and the 41-year- terrified shoppers sheltering detained on assault charg-
old suspect was detained. in stores. Unarmed commu- es but was later arrested
Police do not believe any- Police outside the Arndale Centre in Manchester, England, Fri- nity support officers chal- on a charge of "the com-
one else was involved in day October 11, 2019, after a stabbing incident at the shopping lenged the suspect, but mission, preparation and
the attack at the Arndale center that left four people injured. were chased as they called instigation of an act of ter-
Centre in Manchester. Associated Press for backup. Armed and un- rorism."
"We do not know the mo- armed officers responded Prime Minister Boris John-
tivation for this terrible at- tainly brutal and of course memories of the awful within five minutes. son said he was "shocked
tack," Greater Manchester extremely frightening for events of 2017," when 22 Freddie Houlder, 22, was at by the incident," add-
Police Assistant Chief Con- anyone who witnessed it." people were killed after a the center when he heard ing: "My thoughts are with
stable Russ Jackson said. Jackson said the incident suicide bomber targeted a "a load of screams just out- the injured and all those
"It appears random, is cer- was "bound to bring back concert by pop star Ariana side" the shop he was in. A affected."q