Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty has acknowledged that there is no such thing in the law as a “marshal’s veto,” which he referred to in his televised address. He explained that he used the term because it was his “protest.” In one respect, however, he remains consistent – he declares unconditional loyalty to the governing coalition.
In a televised address broadcast on Friday evening, Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty announced that he would apply a “marshal’s veto” to harmful legislative proposals that serve populism or destabilize the functioning of the state. MP Anna Maria Żukowska openly admitted that this was meant as a tool directed against the proposals of President Karol Nawrocki.
A few days later, the Speaker of the Sejm was asked on Polsat News what exactly he meant.
“I know the constitution, I know the rules of procedure of the Sejm. I know what the marshal’s powers are. There is no such institution as a ‘marshal’s veto,’” Czarzasty admitted candidly.
Why, then, did he speak of using such a “veto”?
“This is my protest against the absolutely emerging populism all around,” he said a few days after the controversial address.
One thing has not changed – Czarzasty stands by his position on being loyal to the governing coalition. “We are a coalition of four parties. I am the speaker elected by the MPs of those four parties. I am here to support this coalition, to support this government, because the Left co-creates this government,” he stated.
“For that reason, I will not take any steps that would introduce elements of chaos or nervousness, that kind of situation, because that’s not who I am,” he added. There was already an example in the interview – Czarzasty suggested that during Hołownia’s tenure there had also been a “freezer,” but he did not want to criticize his predecessor.