President Karol Nawrocki announced that he has vetoed two bills: an amendment to the Electoral Code and an amendment to the law on the taxation of family foundations. He also appealed to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the government to consult draft legislation at an early stage of the legislative process.
President Karol Nawrocki announced the veto of two bills in a video posted on platform X, explaining that he was guided by responsibility for the quality of law and the stability of the state. He emphasized that using the veto is not a tool of political gamesmanship, but a duty stemming from the mandate entrusted to him by voters.
“I want to state clearly that I use the veto power only when the interests of citizens, the transparency of law, and the stability of the state require it. It was the citizens who entrusted me with this prerogative by electing me in a nationwide vote,” he noted.
One of the reasons for rejecting the amendment to the Electoral Code concerned the security of the electoral process abroad. The president pointed out that the proposed solutions could have opened the way to uncontrolled mailing of voting packages, which in today’s geopolitical realities poses a real threat.
“The unregistered mailing of voting packages abroad, included in the bill, creates a serious risk because it makes this process dependent on the quality of postal services in various countries,” he stressed.
He also indicated that the secrecy of voting outside polling stations had not been sufficiently safeguarded, which is a key element of a fair electoral process.
“In today’s world, where hybrid threats and interference in the electoral process are real, the lack of full control over the voting process is a serious and unacceptable risk that we cannot take,” he added.
The second vetoed bill was the amendment concerning the taxation of family foundations. Nawrocki pointed to the fundamental principle of citizens’ trust in the state. He recalled that when the institution of family foundations was introduced, lawmakers promised that the rules would remain unchanged for three years. Meanwhile, the new regulations altered those conditions after less than two years.
The president assessed the situation clearly:
“This is a violation of the principle of trust in the state, and the only reason for it was—and still is—the disastrous condition of public finances.”
Although the president’s decision sparked strong reactions from parts of the political class, Nawrocki remains consistent. He emphasized that his role is to hold the government accountable and to react when laws are drafted too hastily, without analysis and consultation. In this spirit, he issued an appeal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his cabinet.
He called for legislative proposals to be consulted at an early stage:
“Such an approach would streamline the legislative process, limit the need to veto flawed bills, and—above all—serve the citizens.”
Nawrocki underscores that his decisions are meant to protect citizens from legislative chaos and from hasty changes to the law that could undermine their security and trust in state institutions.