The German media have found a new object of admiration in Poland, now governed by the December 13 Coalition. It is Waldemar Żurek, the new Minister of Justice in Donald Tusk’s cabinet. For months, Tusk’s Western allies had criticised him for failing to deliver tangible results in combating the patriotic camp in Poland. The criticism peaked following Karol Nawrocki’s victory in the presidential election. Increasingly brazen behaviour from the Germans, not only from the media but also from leading politicians, has revealed their open dissatisfaction with Polish voters’ decisions. Is Tusk’s patron, Friedrich Merz, counting on Żurek to help prevent Karol Nawrocki from being sworn in, or perhaps even to annul the presidential election?
“One can assume that the new Minister of Justice will act decisively and attract public attention,” reads an article in the prestigious daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). FAZ gushes over Żurek, describing him as “a victim of years of persecution by the PiS regime.”
“Usually, it is not a good idea to appoint victims of persecution as judges over their persecutors. However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made that decision and appointed Waldemar Żurek as the new Minister of Justice,” the evidently satisfied periodical notes.
The article adds that Żurek will inevitably find himself in a difficult position in his new role. According to FAZ, he is considered one of the most persecuted judges during the PiS government era in Poland. “He was a strong opponent of judicial reforms and the politicisation of the judiciary, defended judicial independence, and called for protests,” continues the text on the heroic Waldemar.
The author, FAZ‘s Warsaw correspondent Stefan Locke, writes that as the spokesperson of the National Council of the Judiciary, Żurek became a symbol of resistance. “Thus, he became a thorn in PiS’s side, not least because he compared the party’s methods to repressions used during the communist era” (as quoted after dw.com).
Later in the article, Mr. Locke laments PiS’s “many attempts” to silence Żurek. Jarosław Kaczyński’s party allegedly harassed the unyielding jurist “through disciplinary proceedings, tax audits, and by disclosing confidential documents.” “His family was not spared either. Like Żurek, they also became targets of online hate and defamation in PiS-friendly media,” bemoans the German correspondent.
Of course, the German media figure does not mention the compromising facts about Żurek, such as his court dispute with his own daughter over “overpaid child support,” or his demand for financial compensation for worn-down teeth, allegedly caused by stress from political persecution that led to teeth grinding and ultimately, dental damage. The District Court in Katowice rejected this claim.
None of this appears in Locke’s article. Instead, the reader is presented with a set of expectations that the combative Waldemar “will significantly accelerate the prosecution of crimes committed during the PiS rule and ensure that responsible politicians are held accountable.”
“Tusk promised this during the 2023 election campaign, but the process of restoring the rule of law in Poland has been too slow for many of his voters.” According to the article, Żurek’s predecessor in the role, Adam Bodnar, approached the issue of accountability in a legally clean but consequently slow and unremarkable manner. Żurek, on the other hand, is expected to deliver quick results, at least according to Locke and those he represents.
According to the journalist, “one can assume that the new minister will act decisively and attract public attention. This is also aimed at maintaining hope that Tusk’s camp will not lose power in the parliamentary elections in two years,” we read in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
And that, precisely, is what the Germans are counting on.