WARSAW – Poland’s president has signed a bill earmarking nearly 2 billion zlotys ($510 million) to fund public television and radio, broadcast outlets that have become mouthpieces for the country’s right-wing government and given the president positive coverage as he campaigns for reelection.
President Andrzej Duda, who hails from the ruling Law and Justice party, signed the funding bill late Friday as he campaigns for a second five-year term in a May election.
His decision was closely watched given how politically charged the issue of public media has become in Poland. The political opposition had called for the money to instead be used for cancer treatment.
Duda said he had doubts about signing the legislation approved by parliament into law. In doing so, he allowed a large injection of money to go into broadcasters that were already helping his campaign.(AP)
