Opposition Uses Tablet to Speak out in Parliament

In Poland, speaking out in parliament is a privilege mostly reserved for lawmakers, but the opposition has skirted that regulation with the help of a hand-held tablet computer.

Nationalist opposition party leader and lawmaker Jaroslaw Kaczynski has introduced a non-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and a vote is expected Friday.

But when Kaczynski stood up to speak in the lower Chamber on Thursday, he surprised lawmakers by taking out his tablet and playing a pre-recorded policy speech by Piotr Glinski, his Law and Justice party's shadow prime minister, a non-elected official.

The public-relations stunt was apparently aimed at showing Glinski's leadership potential.

Poland's Cabinet is expected to survive Friday's vote.

Special permission is required for non-members to take the floor in parliament.