Polish president swears in new judge amid row over tribunal
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
28.04.2016 12:48
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday swore in a new Constitutional Tribunal judge backed by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, a move that could prolong a political deadlock between the government and the opposition.
Andrzej Duda (left) and Zbigniew Jędrzejewski (right). Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk
Most opposition MPs had called for Duda to hold off from swearing in the judge amid a bitter, ongoing row that has seen Poland plunged into a constitutional crisis.
"I am happy that today I can swear in [the new judge], I’m happy because it means that the Constitutional Tribunal now comprises 15 judges again, as outlined in the constitution,” Duda said.
In a 14 April parliamentary vote that sparked controversy, Zbigniew Jędrzejewski was approved as a replacement for an outgoing Constitutional Tribunal judge
MP Małgorzata Zwiercan was ejected from the caucus of Poland’s opposition Kukiz'15 grouping after she voted for the new PiS-backed judge on behalf of party colleague Kornel Morawiecki.
Political veteran Morawiecki, the father of Polish Development Minister and Deputy PM Mateusz Morawiecki, decided himself to leave the Kukiz'15 parliamentary club.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw has launched an preliminary investigation into the way the ballot was carried out.
Opposition MPs said they had alerted the Speaker of parliament, claiming that there had been an irregularity during the ballot.
Political stalemate
Poland is locked in a political stalemate after the conservative Law and Justice party, which came to power in October, introduced sweeping reforms to the Constitutional Tribunal and other institutions.
The European Parliament on April 13 passed a resolution warning that the “effective paralysis” of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal endangers the rule of law, democracy and human rights.
The tribunal has itself rejected PiS-backed changes to the way it functions. PiS, in turn, has refused to recognise that ruling by the tribunal, claiming it is invalid.
Critics say the PiS-backed changes were designed to paralyse the tribunal, which decides whether laws passed by parliament are in keeping with the Polish constitution.
PiS has argued it is unfair that a tribunal with a majority of judges appointed under the previous parliament should be able to scupper flagship policies for which the party secured a mandate in democratic elections. (pk)
Source: PAP/IAR