“Regardless of today’s mood, Waldemar Żurek will most likely be replaced during the reshuffle planned about a year before the elections, somewhere between September and November,” one of the ministers in Government of Poland told Interia. The dissatisfaction with the Minister of Justice is reportedly due, among other things, to allowing Zbigniew Ziobro to travel to the United States.
Pursued by prosecutors, Zbigniew Ziobro has been in the United States for several days. He arrived there from Hungary, where he had been granted political asylum. The case has dealt a significant blow to the ruling camp, especially since – as the spokesperson for the National Prosecutor’s Office stated – Ziobro “is not an internationally wanted person”, contrary to what could be inferred from narratives promoted by the ruling coalition. It appears that the consequences may be borne directly by the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, Waldemar Żurek.
“Furious with Waldek”
Interia, citing a conversation with a member of Donald Tusk’s government, claims that Ziobro’s trip to the U.S. was like a “cold shower” for those in power. – “The Prime Minister believes he was misled, that he was told the situation was under control and that everything had been arranged. When it turned out that Ziobro had escaped, he was extremely angry,” the source says, adding that the head of government “is particularly furious with Waldek.”
“[…] he assured Tusk that everything was arranged, that he knew everything, and that Orban had no influence in the United States,” said the politician.
Another source claims that “Tusk is running out of patience with Żurek,” as Tusk “never looks at the path to the goal, only at the goal itself.”
Not just Ziobro’s departure
However, Ziobro’s trip to the U.S. is reportedly not the only reason for dissatisfaction with the Minister of Justice. Other issues include raising excessive hopes for breakthrough changes in the Constitutional Tribunal, the National Council of the Judiciary, or the Supreme Court. Żurek is also criticized for a failed attempt to replace the deputies of the Prosecutor General.
“Żurek’s main problem is that he built his image precisely on holding the previous government accountable and on being a tough sheriff on behalf of the current administration. Now this is backfiring on him […] he was supposed to break the system. And in this regard, he has failed,” another source told the outlet.