Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek has said that he is prepared every day for the possibility that Prime Minister Donald Tusk may decide to replace him. His declaration came in response to a question about whether Civic Coalition (KO) MP Roman Giertych could become his successor.
During Thursday’s press briefing, Żurek was asked whether Roman Giertych, an MP from the Civic Coalition (KO), could soon replace him as Minister of Justice.
“The position of Minister of Justice combined with the role of Prosecutor General is an extremely demanding job,” Żurek replied. He stressed that the dual role also requires considerable physical stamina.
“It really is the work of several full-time jobs,” Żurek explained. He noted that when he joined the government and resigned from his position as a judge, he was fully aware that he was taking on a particularly challenging responsibility.
He also declared that “every single day I am ready for the Prime Minister to say, ‘it’s time for a change.'” At the same time, he emphasized that he is “absolutely not attached to any position.”
Żurek added that if a candidate emerged who “could demonstrate today that more can be achieved and who has the support of the governing coalition, then that will be the Prime Minister’s decision.”
“But as of today, I have received no such signals – neither from the Prime Minister nor, even more so, from MP Roman Giertych. I believe he has even publicly stated that two conditions would have to be met for him to accept the Prime Minister’s proposal, and those conditions have not been fulfilled,” Żurek said.
“We Will Present Our Achievements”
According to Żurek, he will soon present a summary of his first year in office. He announced that a conference dedicated to reviewing his work will most likely take place in July.
“That is when we will present the achievements we have managed to accomplish,” the Justice Minister said.
Reports suggesting that Żurek could be replaced during the next government reshuffle first surfaced in May. According to those reports, the decisive factor was the prosecution service’s widely criticized handling of the trip to the United States by former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.