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Donald Tusk woos female voters ahead of Poland’s election

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Donald Tusk woos female voters ahead of Poland’s election

Donald Tusk woos female voters ahead of Poland’s election

 

 

Poland’s opposition leader Donald Tusk has made a last-ditch attempt to win over female voters ahead of Sunday’s election, including a pledge to restore reproductive rights curtailed by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party. Addressing a mostly female audience in the city of Łódź, where women textile workers were at the forefront of the country’s industrial revolution, Tusk emphasized their potentially pivotal role in ousting PiS after eight years in power. For women wanting to live in a modern European country, “it really can’t be like this!”, he shouted to loud applause at a rally this week. Ahead of what is shaping up to be one of Poland’s most polarised elections, Tusk’s conservative-leaning but more liberal Civic Platform is trailing PiS by some five percentage points. The opposition hopes to reverse the result of the 2019 election when 43 percent of the female vote went for PiS and just 30 percent for Civic Platform. Absenteeism may make matters worse: internal surveys show about half of the younger female electorate — aged between 18 and 45 — might not vote at all on Sunday.

 

 

Donald Tusk woos female voters ahead of Poland’s election

 

 

 

“This a real problem because I’m sure these [younger] women, if they decide to vote, will defend democracy and the rights of women,” Hanna Zdanowska, the Civic Platform mayor of Łódź, told the Financial Times. As part of its eleventh-hour effort to mobilise female voters, Civic Platform is promising that one of the first laws passed by a new Tusk government would subsidise in vitro fertilisation — for which the PiS government stopped public financing only weeks after taking office in 2015. “Every party has said or done things that I really don’t like,” said start-up entrepreneur Olivia Kowalczyk, 25. Civic Platform is “now talking about women’s rights but we all know they made many promises in the past that they then absolutely didn’t fulfil when they were in power eight years ago”. By comparison, only about one-third of male voters in the same age group are on the fence about casting their ballots on Sunday, internal polling shows. Young men have now also become the core electorate of a far-right misogynist party, Confederation, that could offer PiS its only path back to power.

 

 

Women have spearheaded the pushback against PiS and led mass street protests following a 2020 constitutional court ruling rolling back the right to abortion. But Civic Platform is also campaigning on reproductive rights issues — which are particularly divisive in a majority-Catholic society. Poland has a proportional representation system and Sunday’s election result will also depend on any swing in turnout between voters in Warsaw and other cities dominated by the opposition and older rural voters who embrace the conservatism of PiS and also rely more on state handouts. Łódź is a case in point, a city in the centre of Poland led by mayor Zdanowska since 2010. But the outskirts of Łódź provide more fertile ground for PiS. Many towns are run by conservative women who canvass door-to-door for PiS and often also against feminism. “I don’t go to the centre of Łódź to campaign but I’m spending time with my people, reading poetry to disabled children in our schools,” said Renata Kobiera, a PiS candidate in Brzeziny, which has 12,000 residents. Her municipality office is decorated with posters celebrating small-scale PiS infrastructure projects, such as a new bus line. “I think women here will vote for women like me because we calm down our politics,” Kobiera argued.

 

 

The opposition’s last-minute drive to attract younger women seems to mobilise older women to vote for PiS, said Marcin Duma, head of pollster Ibris, though he added it was hard to determine to what extent. The highest-ranked woman on the PiS list in Łódź, Agnieszka Wojciechowska van Heukelom, claimed Tusk was belatedly and unjustifiably moving women’s rights up his agenda. “I don’t see the collapse of women’s rights that Donald Tusk is now trying to talk about, and I know many other women who don’t see it either,” she said. Sunday’s result “will not be determined by talking about women’s rights but by people, especially women, who want to feel safe in every sense of the term, not only military security but also social safety, with strong support from the state”, the conservative candidate said. Tusk has at times struggled to deliver a consistent message to progressive women. He spoke forcefully about women’s rights in Łódź, a day after taking part in a televised debate in which he did not mention women at all. Only one of the six participants in that debate talked about women, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus from the Left party, who also happened to be the only woman on stage.

 

 

 

Tusk also recently stunned many supporters by nominating a former ultraconservative education minister, Roman Giertych, to run in the constituency where PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczyński is standing. Giertych’s political return could deal a blow to Kaczyński, but it could also upset those who recall his demand for schoolchildren to be taught that abortion is murder. Opposition candidate Aleksandra Wiśniewska, 29, argued Tusk was not given a chance to speak about women during Monday’s TV debate because the discussion was steered by presenters from the pro-PiS state broadcaster. “Women’s rights are absolutely critical,” she said. “But I think there is something far more pivotal and sinister hanging over this election, which is that our democracy is at stake.”

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Top Reps Aspirant, Abudu-Balogun Assures Constituents of Inclusive, Progressive Representation

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Top Reps Aspirant, Abudu-Balogun Assures Constituents of Inclusive, Progressive Representation

 

It is an incontrovertible fact that Watersiders should GET IT RIGHT this time around by overwhelmingly support this distinguished Watersider, Hon. Abudu-Balogun to emerge as the Candidate of APC for the Federal House of Representative in the 2027 elections.

Apart from being a respected politician among the creme-de-la-creme professionals in politics in Ogun State, and undoubtedly a prominent grassroots politician of Waterside extraction, Hon. Abudu-Balogun has seen it all in National politics that will be of great benefits to the Federal Constituency if eventually elected.

 

Hmmm! With the emergence of the distinguished Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi) as the consensus Governorship candidate of APC in Ogun State, Waterside agitation for enduring developmental projects and its realisation like Deep Sea Port, assumption of Oil producing LGA via Eba Oil deposits, sustainable Electricity Supply would be a walk-over. This anaysis is predicated upon a scientifically established empirical evidence that Hon Abudu-Balogun is a sustainable Bridge between this Federal Constituency and the Powers that be at Federal level.

 

He has the competence, he posseses the Capacity, he has the cognate political experience, he has fortified the developmental blueprint, he has worked tirelessly, and earned the link to facilitate the expected developmental projects to this Federal Constituency.

 

Above all, Hon Abudu-Balogun has concluded political and economic arrangements to galvanise support in all respects from the main actors at the National and sub-national levels in the country for the tasks ahead.

 

TENI NI TENI. This is the time TIME FOR “ACTION” in the realisation of the enduring Developmental Agenda (that has been eluding us from time immemorial) for the entire Federal Constituency, particularly, our dear Ogun Waterside LGA.

 

Distinguished Watersiders, particularly, the comrade professional politicians and the astute Professionals in politics, please factcheck this. Hon Abudu-Balogun is a very popular and honoured politician in Ijebu-North LGA, he is cherished and respected professional in politics in Ijebu-East LGA, he is a consistently consistent rare breed politician in Waterside who has the interest of Waterside development at heart.

 

ACTION needs our support, he needs our endorsement at this political turning point of our dear LGA, the Wealth Side of Ogun State.

Iwe teni, iwe teni, iwe teni o.

Ajuse ri Dede Eni o.

Happy Sunday to us all.

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ADC Unstoppable, Like the Sun — Aregbesola Declares at 8th National Convention

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ADC Unstoppable, Like the Sun — Aregbesola Declares at 8th National Convention

 

 

ABUJA — Former Osun State Governor and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has declared that the party remains “unstoppable,” likening its rise to the inevitability of the sun, despite what he described as attempts by the ruling establishment to weaken opposition forces.

Speaking at the ADC’s 8th National Convention, Aregbesola said the party’s existence is rooted in the will of Nigerians and protected by the constitution, insisting that no political pressure or institutional interference could halt its progress.

“Just as no power can stop the sun from rising, so can the ADC not be stopped,” he told delegates.

Blasts Political System, Accuses Ruling Forces of Undermining Democracy

The ADC leader accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of actions he described as anti-democratic, alleging efforts to frustrate opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

He criticized what he termed the normalization of political “criminality,” arguing that recent political realignments and electoral practices undermine democratic integrity.

According to him, ADC does not owe its existence to any individual or institution but to Nigerians “tired of deceit and mismanagement.”

Harsh Assessment of Economy, Security, and Governance

Aregbesola painted a grim picture of the nation’s condition, citing economic decline, rising inflation, and worsening living standards.

He noted that the naira’s depreciation from about ₦700 to ₦1,400 per dollar reflects what he described as poor economic management, while fuel prices have surged significantly, making daily life difficult for citizens.

On security, he described the current situation as one of the worst in Nigeria’s history, raising concerns about increasing violence and what he called a lack of empathy from leadership in responding to national tragedies.

ADC Positions Itself as Nigeria’s “Rescue Mission”

The former minister said the ADC has, within months, transformed into a major opposition force, claiming it now represents the “hope of the Nigerian people.”

He outlined the party’s rapid structural expansion, ongoing membership drive, and efforts to build alliances with other opposition groups including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Aregbesola emphasized that the party is preparing to challenge the APC in the 2027 general elections through what he described as a “united opposition front.”

Defends Party Leadership Changes, Convention Legitimacy

Providing details of internal restructuring, Aregbesola said the emergence of new leadership, including David Mark as caretaker national chairman, followed due constitutional process and was duly communicated to INEC.

He argued that the commission’s refusal to monitor the convention violates provisions of the Electoral Act, insisting that ADC fulfilled all legal requirements.

Alleges Persecution of Opposition Figures

The ADC leader further accused the government of using state institutions such as anti-corruption agencies and security services to intimidate opposition politicians.

He cited cases involving figures like Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal, describing the trend as a dangerous signal for democracy.

Calls for United Front Ahead of 2027

Aregbesola concluded with a rallying call for Nigerians to support the ADC’s mission to restore “freedom, security, and prosperity,” warning against political apathy.

“A democracy without opposition is an autocracy,” he said, urging citizens to reject what he termed any attempt at political “coronation.”

Closing Note

The convention, themed “So that Nigeria will work for Freedom, Security and Prosperity,” brought together party delegates and stakeholders, marking a significant step in ADC’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

 

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CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO APC CONSENSUS GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE, SENATOR SOLOMON OLAMILEKAN ADEOLA YAYI

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CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO APC CONSENSUS GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE, SENATOR SOLOMON OLAMILEKAN ADEOLA YAYI*

 

On behalf of our Grand Patron, Dr. Tunde Osinowo (Pepperito Jnr.), we leaders and Members of Ogun East for Yayi heartily congratulate Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) for being the consensus Governorship candidate of our party, APC, in the 2027 election.

This is marvelous and indeed great in the sight of God.

Without mincing words, the choice of Yayi by the party stakeholders is the best and the most surest assurance to coast the Party to victory at the general elections come February, 2027.

We commend the maturity, dispositions and spirit of sportsmanship with which all the Gubernatorial aspirants embraced the decision and extended hands of fellowship to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi, the Gubernatorial Hopeful.

We beseech God to grant Yayi and all of us, leaders, followers and supporters, the enablements to see him duly elected as Governor of Ogun State at the general election in Jesus mighty name.

We congratulate the incoming Governor of Ogun State and our Excellency in waiting, Yayi.

This is Yayi O’clock.

Praise God!

Mo yo fun e, mo yo fun ra mi.

 

 

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