President's aide: Constitutional Convention likely on April 26

A Constitutional Convention will be held in Warsaw, most likely on April 26, deputy head of the President's Office Pawel Mucha announced on Friday, adding it could be attended by about a thousand people.

Białystok, 19/02/2018. Deputy head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland Paweł Mucha during a discussion meeting before the nationwide referendum on the new constitution. in Bialystok. (ar / pkus) PAP / Artur Reszko Archiwum PAP © 2018 / Artur Reszko
Archiwum PAP © 2018 / Artur Reszko / Białystok, 19/02/2018. Deputy head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland Paweł Mucha during a discussion meeting before the nationwide referendum on the new constitution. in Bialystok. (ar / pkus) PAP / Artur Reszko Archiwum PAP © 2018 / Artur Reszko

Mucha said that the President's Office would like to attract representatives of NGOs and local governments as well as a large group of young people to the convention.

Apart from the president's speech, expert panels can be expected to hold sessions during the convention, Mucha told a Catholic radio broadcaster on Friday morning.

Mucha, who is also the president's plenipotentiary for a consultative referendum regarding changes to the constitution, did not rule out that "on May 3 the president may make some important declarations", adding that he is convinced that during the convention some important declarations on the matter will also be made by Andrzej Duda.

Last year, President Duda suggested Poland's constitution should be amended to take into account the changed domestic and international environment, two decades after the country's basic law was passed. To this end, he would like to ask citizens whether to alter the constitution and if so, in what respect. His preferred date is somewhere around November 11, 2018, the centenary of Poland regaining its independence.

The first stage of the social and information campaign in this matter are open meetings, which began last year, held in regions with experts in the field of constitutional law. (PAP)

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