We are living today in a moment when the political conflict has gone too far, it is destroying the community, destroying families. It is crossing all possible boundaries. It has gone too far because it is undermining the system and the foundations of the Polish state. State institutions, which are meant to be durable and strong, to build the state – the Republic of Poland, its continuity, its long-term existence – are being drawn into political or party struggles with a 4- or 5-year horizon. State institutions are being used for hard political and party fighting, and the rule-of-law system, which is supposed to mitigate social tensions together with these institutions, is producing further chaos and more social conflicts. “We must say: enough! and be aware that we do not agree to this,” said the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, in a speech on the occasion of the Constitution of May 3 Day.
In his address marking the Constitution of May 3 Day, the president recalled that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ultimately collapsed “unfortunately due to Polish elites – conformist elites who, whether out of betrayal, stupidity, or the desire for private gain, piece by piece, day by day, month by month, year by year, handed over Polish sovereignty to neighboring powers – Russia and Prussia, Berlin and Moscow.”
“And although the process of reform began after 1772, and its culmination was meant to be the Four-Year Sejm and the Constitution of May 3, the Commonwealth could not be saved. That reform period after the First Partition was possible because geopolitics had changed – that has always been the case. It is the same and will always be the case in Poland, given our location, that the window for reforms and modernization opens only briefly, and we must be quick to take advantage of it. Poland could not be repaired, even though after the first partition efforts began with what was most important. The creators of the constitution and the patriotic Polish elites knew that Poland had to be rebuilt through historical and cultural education, from the ground up, by building national identity that guarantees survival,” said Nawrocki.
Modernization and independence
He emphasized that the culmination of the reform process was the adoption of the Constitution of May 3, and the two key values that shaped it were modernization and independence.
“Modernizing the system of governing the Republic of Poland, creating an efficient state – and thus a secure state – and preserving Polish independence. (…) What was most important in the Constitution of May 3 was that it was ready to build a modern Poland of the future, based on the separation of powers, citizenship, and civil rights. This constitution paid attention to the ‘agricultural people’; it was the most modern constitution of its time. What matters most today is that the Polish nation was capable of producing a fundamental act that served as a reference point not only for contemporaries but, equally importantly – or perhaps even more importantly – what I want to stress is that throughout all 11 articles and the preamble, there was a deep capacity of Poland and Poles for self-correction in governance. It was a constitution created by outstanding Poles who carried the Polish spirit within them, who believed in the Republic, loved it, and wanted to reform it,” said Karol Nawrocki.
He pointed out that the ability for self-correction was one of the foundations of the Constitution of May 3.
“Perhaps that is why the constitution was received with such admiration by British liberals and some commentators and politicians in Western Europe, while it was met with great anxiety in Berlin and fury in Moscow. This shows that Poles were ready – without reviewers, commentators, or tutors – to reform the Republic themselves, and that is what the Constitution of May 3 is about. At the same time, when Poles were celebrating and Western Europe admired our solutions, Berlin and Moscow still looked at Poles as dull Sarmatians, as people incapable of producing such a fundamental act on their own. How relevant does that sound today?” said the president.
“I would like us to understand, in the context of the Constitution of May 3 Day, that we are a nation capable of great deeds, an ambitious nation – that is what this holiday is about, that is what this joy is about,” he added.
He recalled that the Constitution of May 3 lasted only a dozen months, “because those elites who had earlier destroyed the Commonwealth appeared in Moscow just a few months after the constitution was adopted and were convinced that Tsarina Catherine would take care of reforming the Republic and guarantee our freedom. She did not ensure Poland’s freedom, the constitution lost the ability to reform Poland, and Poland collapsed for 123 years.”
“Poland can collapse before our eyes”
The president stated that the nation now faces a choice “whether we want to stand in the shadow of the great creators of the Constitution of May 3, or merely observe them.”
“We do want to stand with them, but we must also read the Constitution of May 3 with understanding – it is a lesson for the Republic, a lesson for Polish elites. We cannot allow it to remain only a historical memory. We must look at the Constitution of May 3 and today’s ceremony also in the context of the question – where is Poland today – and with the awareness that even such an exceptional fundamental act did not prevent the fall of the Republic. Reforms came too late. We produced the Constitution of May 3, yet the Republic collapsed. This is a signal to all of us that Poland can collapse before our very eyes, and the effects will only be seen in a decade, two decades, or three. Caring for Poland requires daily hard work and constant analysis of what is happening in the Republic. That is also what today’s holiday is about. The Constitution of May 3 did not allow Poland to survive,” Nawrocki noted.
The president stressed that, in his view, Poland’s current problems “are not only political, but also systemic, fundamental in nature.”
“We are living today in a moment when the political conflict has gone too far, it is destroying the community and families. It crosses all possible boundaries. It has gone too far because it is undermining the system and the foundations of the Polish state. State institutions, meant to be durable and strong, to build the Republic, its continuity and long-term existence, are engaged in political or party struggles with a 4- or 5-year horizon. They are used for hard political fighting, and the rule-of-law system, which should mitigate social tensions, produces more chaos and further social conflicts. We must say: enough,” said Karol Nawrocki.
Constitution – modernize or replace
The president emphasized that “Poland is currently at a constitutional moment.” He added that he respects the 1997 Constitution and will remain its guardian.
“Today we need a next-generation constitution – for the year 2030. If we read the Constitution of May 3, we see that even its creators, upon adopting it, said that within 25 years there should be a constitutional sejm to modernize it and adapt it to contemporary realities. That sejm never took place because Poland collapsed. They knew this – and we must know it too – that we must modernize the 1997 Constitution or replace it,” he declared.
He noted that the current constitution “was a necessary compromise in the times of systemic transformation – very different times.”
“Today Poland is part of the European Union, we are members of NATO, and I believe that soon we will become a permanent member of the G20. Everything in the world has changed, and there is a war beyond our eastern border. We must have the same courage as the creators of the Constitution of May 3 – the courage to begin a discussion about a new, next-generation constitution for 2030. We must once and for all decide whether we want the nation to be governed by those elected in democratic elections – by the will of the sovereign, the nation – or whether we want power to be exercised through party arrangements and political architecture detached from the nation. Today the situation demands that we ensure a strong but controlled authority – authority that comes directly from the sovereign, from the nation. That is what the creators of the Constitution of May 3 wanted. Democracy is the rule of the majority with respect for minorities, not the crude blocking of majority rights by a minority. That is not democracy,” Nawrocki stressed.
“We do not need constant division into two centers”
“Today we need authority that will ensure our security and take full responsibility for it – in times of peace and, God forbid, in times of war. We need decisive command over the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, not constant division into two centers of administrative and state power. We must do this for Poland’s security – we must do it by 2030,” said the president.
“I will not answer today which system we should choose – a prime-ministerial or presidential system – but things cannot continue as they are, with power split between two centers. That is why today I have established the Council for a New Constitution. We are beginning work on a next-generation constitution for 2030,” he added.
President Nawrocki announced the creation of the Council for a New Constitution and expressed hope that the Presidential Palace would become a place for debate on the new constitution.
“The problem has been diagnosed, but we must work together on solutions. Constitutions are not created in silence – great acts require discussion, exceptional individuals, intellectuals who think broadly,” he said, inviting everyone “who carry concern for the future of the Republic in their hearts.”
“Let us have the courage – I ask you – let us have the courage, like they did on May 3, 1791, to reform the Republic. Poland is beautiful, it is strong, and it does not need reviewers to create its own law. Poland will be even safer. Let us look to them – let this day not be only a memory, but the beginning of a new path toward the Constitution of 2030,” the president concluded.