President Karol Nawrocki’s veto has not ended the dispute over civil partnerships. Politicians from the New Left are already looking for ways to introduce some of the proposed measures through other legal avenues. Anna Maria Żukowska, Deputy Chair of the New Left, openly indicated that same-sex couples could follow a different path: “Marriage abroad, followed by transcription in Poland.”
Anna Maria Żukowska says LGBT activists will seek to bypass the president’s veto
On Friday, President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the government’s bill on the status of a person’s closest partner in a relationship and a cohabitation agreement, together with its implementing legislation. “I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage,” the president said.
The vetoed bill was the first piece of legislation in the history of the Polish parliament that would have allowed the legal recognition of civil partnerships, including same-sex couples. It had passed both chambers of parliament, where the December 13 Coalition holds a majority.
Since then, both politicians from the ruling camp and pro-government media have continued to intensify the debate. Among them, Katarzyna Kotula stated on TVN24 yesterday that, under a regulation published by the Minister of Digital Affairs at the end of May, it would be possible to transcribe foreign same-sex marriage certificates into the Polish civil registry. She added that, in practice, such couples would be able to access benefits from the Social Insurance Institution, as well as public health insurance.
Kotula stressed that the only remaining issue concerns the possibility of filing joint tax returns. According to her, this would require neither a new law nor another regulation – only a general interpretation issued by Finance Minister Andrzej Domański.
Żukowska on How to “Bypass” the President’s Veto
Speaking on Radio ZET today, Anna Maria Żukowska, Deputy Chair of the New Left, was asked about President Nawrocki’s veto. Commenting on the possibility of holding a referendum, she said:
“Referendums do not resolve situations on their own, because in the end some version of a bill still has to be passed by the Sejm, and then the president still has to sign that law.”
She continued:
“So far, only one referendum has met the required turnout, and that was probably thanks to the strong involvement of Pope John Paul II. Other referendum attempts in Poland failed to reach the necessary turnout. I simply believe this is not a way to solve the problems we have between the government, the Sejm and the president. Organizing a referendum will not make those problems disappear on its own.”
The politician was then asked whether she saw “any other way, apart from a referendum, to introduce civil partnership legislation while Karol Nawrocki remains president.”
In response, she outlined what she described as the only available path for LGBT circles to effectively bypass the presidential veto. According to Żukowska, the route is straightforward: get married abroad and then have the marriage transcribed into the Polish civil registry.
“As long as Karol Nawrocki is president, I do not see any other possibility. The only option – now specifically for same-sex couples, because the vetoed bill covered both same-sex and opposite-sex couples – is marriage abroad, followed by transcription in Poland under the regulations introduced by Minister Gawkowski’s ordinance, and then the gradual consolidation of this legal approach through rulings of the Polish courts,” Żukowska said.