“This is a day of Polish pride — immense pride in our historical achievements, our state, and our statehood,” President Andrzej Duda said on Saturday at Warsaw’s Castle Square during celebrations marking the anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution. He also addressed the upcoming presidential election, urging Poles to turn out in large numbers and stressing the significance of choosing a leader with a strong democratic mandate.
“2025 is a year of unique historical significance: we are celebrating the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s baptism and the millennium of receiving our first royal crown,” Duda said. “We became a kingdom of great strength, and we permanently inscribed ourselves on the political map of Europe.”
The president described the May 3rd Constitution as an extraordinary achievement for its time — the second of its kind in the world — and a continuing source of national pride. “Many countries later drew inspiration from the solutions we introduced,” he noted.
Referring to the Warsaw Confederation, Duda emphasized Poland’s long-standing tradition of religious tolerance. “We can proudly say that we are a country with over 500 years of religious freedom,” he said. “It is deeply rooted in our national character and yet another reason for pride. We are a modern nation by European and global standards — not just today, but throughout history and thought.”
“Poland must emerge strong”
Turning to the upcoming presidential election, Duda acknowledged the current political campaign. “Candidates are presenting themselves and their visions for Poland,” he said. “We will all be choosing — I too will vote, as an ordinary citizen.”
He stressed the need for fair and transparent elections. “It is crucial that we are able to make an informed, honest choice — that the elections are conducted properly, their results are objective and true, and that they are peacefully accepted,” he said. “Poland must emerge strong from this election — strong through its newly elected president, strong through the mandate that president receives.”
“To ensure that, dear fellow citizens, you must go to the polls. I ask this of you as the current president of the Republic of Poland, who wishes to hand over the office calmly and with confidence to a successor chosen freely by the people — whoever that may be — knowing that they were truly elected by a powerful majority,” he added.
President as guardian of the Constitution
Duda also reminded that the next president will serve as the guardian of the Constitution. “That means speaking up whenever someone violates the Constitution or Polish law — no matter who they are,” he stated. “When someone acts unlawfully, breaks the rules, and undermines our democracy, it is the president’s duty to say so — to say clearly that this is a violation of the rule of law, that this is not legal, and that it is damaging to the foundations of our state.”
He echoed the words of the late President Lech Kaczyński, spoken on the same date years ago: “The Constitution must be interpreted and read as it was written.” Duda continued, “I say this as a lawyer and as president. Why should we read it as written? Because that is how the Polish people approved it in a referendum. You — my fellow citizens — are not legal theorists, not constitutional scholars, and it would be a grave deception to extract from the Constitution meanings that were never written into it.”