“We do not have to accept the fact that we lack information regarding the Speaker’s security clearance questionnaire, which he has not submitted,” President of Poland Karol Nawrocki said in an interview with Polsat News. “How can I remain indifferent to this as a president elected by more than 10 million Poles?” he added.
Journalists from Gazeta Polska revealed unclear business and social ties between Włodzimierz Czarzasty and a Russian national, Swietłana Czestnych, who allegedly has links to the Kremlin. At the same time, it emerged that the leader of The Left has for many years avoided completing a security clearance questionnaire.
Furthermore, the portal Niezależna.pl established that Czarzasty sits on the board of the Wielki Błękit Foundation, whose president, Marian Kubalica, publicly supports Vladimir Putin, disseminates Russian propaganda, and attacks Polish activists, including Andrzej Poczobut.
The issue of Czarzasty’s alleged risky connections was raised during a meeting of the National Security Council. As disclosed by the Head of the President’s Chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, Czarzasty remained silent during the discussion. The Speaker later posted online, commenting on the session and claiming that the discussion of his case at the Council was merely a staged setup that failed.
Moreover, at its next sitting, the parliamentary Committee for Special Services will examine the matter of Czarzasty’s unclear relations with individuals linked to the Kremlin. Opposition politicians have announced that they intend to question the heads of the special services about any actions taken with regard to the leader of The Left. Meanwhile, the Chancellery of the Sejm issued a statement asserting that even if the Speaker were to request extended vetting by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the agency would be obliged to refuse.
President: This Is Not Between Me and Him
This morning, President Karol Nawrocki appeared on Polsat News, where the topic of Czarzasty resurfaced. The president emphasized that the matter is not a personal conflict but a constitutional issue.
“The matter between me and Speaker Czarzasty is not personal at all. I said this at the National Security Council. The Speaker of the Sejm is one heartbeat away from becoming President of the Republic of Poland. This is simply a constitutional issue,” he stated.
He underscored: “This is not a matter between Nawrocki and Czarzasty, but between the President of Poland and the Speaker of the Sejm, who could become President of the Republic of Poland.”
“If God were to decide to call me to eternity today or tomorrow… The matter is fundamental and constitutional. We accept, because it results from the architecture of our political system, that the Speaker of the Sejm is a person who received 22,000 votes and lost to the last place candidate on his own list, even in his own district, among his own candidates,” he continued.
He also argued that politicians holding high state offices should be subject to thorough vetting procedures.
“On the one hand, there is a politician — myself — who since 2009 has undergone many-hour security screening procedures. In 2009, 2014, and 2021. I’m not sure whether you realize that many officials are subject to such checks,” the Polish head of state explained.
He specified: “It involves examining all bank accounts, prescriptions, hospitals, clinics. That is how it should look.”
According to Nawrocki, “comparing my situation with that of Speaker Czarzasty is nothing more than unpleasant propaganda, and this is a constitutional issue.”
“We do not have to accept the fact that we lack information regarding the Speaker’s security questionnaire, which he has not submitted (…). How can I remain indifferent to this as a president elected by more than 10 million Poles? If someone believes this is not an issue for the National Security Council — security clearance for the Speaker in the face of hybrid warfare on Poland’s eastern border and in the Baltic Sea — they are mistaken,” the president concluded.