“The rules are simple – the president represents, the government governs. I will block any attempt to introduce a different model,” said the new Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, in his address. In what amounted to a political exposé, he also announced the use of a “marshal’s veto” against bills he deems inappropriate.
Czarzasty began by thanking his predecessor – the first rotating speaker in history, Szymon Hołownia. According to his successor, the fact that such a transition took place means that “the governing coalition is stable.”
“I will be the guardian of the rights of parliament and of the democratic system of our state, as enshrined in the Constitution,” he stressed.
The rest of the address was also steeped in politics. The most important part seems to be the message the new speaker directed at President Karol Nawrocki.
The political problem does not stem from the Constitution itself, but from the actions of those who seek to undermine its principles. “The rules are simple – the president represents, the government governs. I will block any attempt to introduce a different model than the one we approved in the 1997 constitutional referendum,” Czarzasty said, revealing a rather distinctive interpretation of the president’s constitutional role. He then introduced an unprecedented concept in Polish politics, announcing that he intended to apply a “marshal’s veto” to selected bills.
“I will apply a marshal’s veto to harmful legislative proposals that serve populism and disrupt the principles of how the state functions,” he said, declaring his loyalty to the governing coalition.