Challenging one of the bodies of the Supreme Court undermines the presidential prerogative of appointing judges, President Andrzej Duda stated while commenting on today’s decision by the National Electoral Commission (PKW). The President highlighted the issue of post-communist judges in Poland’s judiciary, promising to combat this phenomenon and pointing to its potential influence on the upcoming presidential elections.
The National Electoral Commission postponed deliberations on the financial report of the Law and Justice (PiS) party until “the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Poland systemically regulate the legal status of the Supreme Court’s Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs Chamber and the judges participating in its rulings.” Five out of nine commission members voted in favor of the postponement.
Telewizja Republika sought President Duda’s opinion on the matter during his participation in a meeting of Visegrád Group heads of state in Wisła.
Duda noted that the PKW’s decision was “formulated and articulated” during the ongoing meeting, stating his intent to review the arguments in greater detail later. However, he was already aware of the key points and chose to share his stance.
“If someone questions one of the chambers of the Supreme Court and uses the term neo-judges, they are effectively challenging the presidential prerogative of appointing judges. I absolutely disagree with this and will always defend the appointed judges,” the Polish President asserted.
Duda identified the roots of the judiciary’s issues:
“It stems from the presence of post-communist judges in Poland’s judicial system, including those tarnished by sentencing Poles during martial law. In the 1990s, Professor Strzembosz claimed that the judicial community would cleanse itself. That cleansing never occurred. Today, this post-communist hydra feeds the remnants of the post-communist false elites. I will fight it to the very end,” Duda declared.
He further emphasized the need to consider the broader implications of these developments, particularly their potential impact on the presidential elections.