Polish President vetoes controversial Supreme Court changes

POLAND - Polish President Andrzej Duda has surprised observers by vetoing a bill that would have given his populist government the power to force out all of the nation’s Supreme Court judges.

The controversial bill was part of a package of judicial reforms put forward by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS) and passed by both houses of Polish parliament last week. It has prompted huge protests in the capital Warsaw and across the country. “This law would not strengthen the sense of justice” in society, Duda said in a televised declaration yesterday, the AFP news agency reported. Crowds began to gather outside the presidential palace, waving Polish flags and chanting: “we did it” and “thank you!” The President’s veto is a big win for Poles who turned out to protest in over a hundred cities over the weekend. Critics had condemned the legislation as a blatant power grab by the PiS, which repeatedly insisted that it was simply carrying out needed judicial reform. Key to the legislation was that current Supreme Court judges would be pushed into early retirement and new judges appointed by the Justice Ministry. Duda’s announcement came just two days after Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, approved the bill following 16 hours of debate. The lower house had voted the measure through on Thursday. Parliament has the power to reject the President’s veto, but it would require a three-fifths majority, which would be impossible for the PiS to achieve without the support of other parties.

The bill was described by protesters as the beginning of the end of democracy in the Eastern European country, one of the first former communist nations to join the European Union. In his speech, Duda appealed to the opposition to “change tack,” urging protesters not to turn to violence. “People can demonstrate in the streets, can show their dissatisfaction, but not resort to violence,” Duda said. “I admit, that my decision can be controversial. But, I’m stating here that this law, which has been passed through parliament, will not come into effect,” he added. A poll conducted by CNN affiliate TVN last week found that 55% of Poles said Duda should veto the court laws; 29% said he should not. (CNN.COM)