During a live interview, Marcin Józefaciuk, a member of Poland’s Civic Coalition, has once again confused the components of the country’s executive power, marking his second faux pas on the same topic in less than a month. The lawmaker incorrectly identified the President and the Sejm (the lower house of Poland’s parliament) as the executive authorities of Poland, a mistake that has raised eyebrows given the fundamental nature of the question concerning the structure of government.
Józefaciuk’s initial stumble occurred in late January when he was caught off-guard by a reporter from “Fakt” who asked him to specify which body holds executive power in Poland. The lawmaker’s hasty and incorrect response, “the Sejm,” quickly became a talking point, highlighting a significant gap in his understanding of the Polish constitution.
Despite the lapse, it appears little was done to correct this misunderstanding, as evidenced by Józefaciuk’s recent blunder on Radio Plus. When asked by the host, Jacek Prusinowski, to clarify who exercises executive power in Poland—anticipating that the lawmaker had revisited the constitutional provisions following his earlier mistake—Józefaciuk once again incorrectly cited the President and the Sejm, instead of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers as stipulated by Article 10 of the Polish Constitution.
The repeated error has sparked a mix of amusement and concern, with Józefaciuk acknowledging the blunder with a resigned, “Oh, this is going to be funny.”
This incident not only highlights a worrying lack of basic constitutional knowledge among some lawmakers but also underscores the importance of public officials being well-versed in the fundamental laws governing their country.
Bear in mind that following Article 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, legislative power in Poland is vested in the Sejm and the Senate, executive power is vested in the President of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers, and judicial power in the courts and tribunals.