Members of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) have dismissed Maciej Świrski from his position as chairman. According to Świrski, the remaining members of the Council have effectively deemed that “the rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal do not exist.” “This is a violation of the Constitution,” he said on Telewizja Republika. “The meeting was convened ad hoc, against the rules,” he added.
Świrski has recently come under fire from the ruling coalition. On Friday, the Sejm voted in favor of holding him constitutionally accountable before the State Tribunal. Police have begun to appear outside the KRRiT headquarters.
Then, on Monday afternoon, a surprising announcement appeared on the website of the National Broadcasting Council:
“Pursuant to Article 9(1) in connection with Article 7(2b) of the Act of December 29, 1992 on Radio and Television Broadcasting, and out of concern for the proper fulfillment of the constitutional duties of the KRRiT, which are being threatened by the actions of the ruling coalition in the Polish Parliament, the members of the Council, by the statutory majority of four votes, dismissed Maciej Świrski from the position of Chairman of the KRRiT.
Agnieszka Glapiak was appointed as the new Chairwoman of the KRRiT, elected by the statutory majority of four votes. Hanna Karp was appointed Deputy Chairwoman, also by the statutory majority of four votes,” the statement said.
Maciej Świrski responded to the news on Telewizja Republika:
“Somehow, in the afternoon, the members of the KRRiT gathered, even though I had ordered a recess. From a legal and procedural standpoint, this meeting was irregular. Only the chairman has the authority to order breaks in a session, reconvene a meeting after a break, or call new meetings. It is not permissible to hold a meeting at a different time than scheduled by the chairman.”
“I don’t know what the motivation was or how it was justified, but it seems the main issue was that the KRRiT members allegedly considered me suspended by the Sejm, which, from the perspective of the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling, is completely null and void,” Świrski added.
“In essence, this means we now have KRRiT members endorsing unconstitutional actions by the Sejm,” he stated. He also issued an official statement.