Duda open to 'constitutional reset' says far-right party leader
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, has expressed his openness to a 'constitutional reset' when it comes to Poland's judicial system, Krzysztof Bosak, leader of the far-right Confederation party, said after a meeting with Duda on Wednesday.
The Constitutional Tribunal (TK), the Supreme Court (SN) and the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) were politicised by the former ruling party, the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) during its eight-year rule in 2015-2023, according to Poland's pro-EU parties, judicial circles, NGOs and the European Commission.
PiS carried out its reforms soon after it won the parliamentary election of 2015, triggering nationwide protests of judicial circles and the then opposition. The changes spurred the European Commission to launch rule-of-law infringement procedures against Poland, which cost the country billions of euros in withheld EU funding.
Since taking over power from PiS late last year, Donald Tusk's pro-EU government has vowed to depoliticise state institutions, notably the judicial system.
Tusk and Adam Bodnar, his justice minister, have recently said that a reform of these bodies could be carried out by changing the constitution.
On Wednesday, Duda discussed the constitutional overhaul with Bosak and Stanislaw Tyszka, head of the Confederation party's parliamentary caucus.
According to Bosak, the amendments will "end the chaos" and "restore constitutional recognition of the TK, SN and KRS by all political forces."
Confederation's proposal would nullify the current composition of these major constitutional bodies and re-elect or expand them. The party recommended appointing "a forum of lawyers" to review all parties' suggestions.
Bosak assessed the talks as "good and constructive."
"The president has shown openness to our proposals... He has announced that if we succeed in establishing such a working group, he will also delegate his representative," he said.
Confederation representatives underlined that 'the reset' requires a compromise between parties because the amendments can only be adopted by the constitutional majority of two-thirds of all MPs in the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament. (PAP)
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