The governing coalition in Poland supported the law on the rule of law, which is supposed to restore citizens’ trust in justice and legal certainty. Both the opposition and the chairwoman of the KRS claim that there is a threat of paralyzing the courts and interfering with the constitutionality.
Government coalition clubs supported the so-called proposal in the Polish Sejm on Wednesday. of the Act on the Rule of Law, regulating the status of judges appointed with the participation of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) after 2017. The opposition party Pravo a Spravodlivosť (PiS) rejects the proposal, reports Warsaw correspondent TASR according to the PAP agency.
- The coalition in the Sejm supported the bill on the rule of law.
- The proposal regulates the status of judges appointed after 2017.
- The aim is to end the chaos caused by challenging judgments.
The Minister of Justice, Waldemar Žurek, when presenting the proposal, stated that its goal is to end the chaos in the judiciary, caused by the questioning of judgments issued by judges appointed after the change in the rules of the KRS. According to the current government, the problem with the KRS lies in its politicization during the PiS governments. According to Žurek, the law is intended to guarantee citizens the right to a decision by an independent and impartial court and to restore legal certainty. He also expressed the hope that President Karol Nawrocki will also deal with the proposal.
Opinions on the constitutionality of the law
KRS President Dagmara Pawelczyk-Woicka called the proposal unconstitutional, illogical and motivated by revenge. She warned that it could lead to the reopening of hundreds of thousands of proceedings and the de facto paralysis of the courts. Žurek replied that as a judge appointed with the participation of the current KRS, she appears biased.
The coalition MPs defended the proposal as a necessary step towards correcting the constitutionality. KO deputy Patryk Jaskulski stated that this is not a political act, but a restoration of the constitutional role of the KRS. Representatives of Poland 2050, the Polish People’s Party and the Left emphasized the need to stabilize the legal situation and restore public confidence in the judiciary.
Oppositional attitudes
The representatives of PiS called the proposal a caricature of the rule of law and asked for its rejection in the first reading. The opposition Confederation warned of the risk of deepening the conflict and paralyzing the courts and considers the proposal unconstitutional. The Sejm is to vote on the proposals for rejection on Wednesday afternoon.
