Poland’s president vetoes takeover of courts

WARSAW, Poland — Andrzej Duda was a relatively obscure member of the right-wing Law and Justice party when the leader of the party and the most powerful man in the country plucked him from the chorus line to become its candidate for president in 2015.

For most of the party’s first 20 months in power, he was a reliable proponent for the governing party’s nationalist initiatives.

On Monday, President Duda defied his patron, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and vetoed two bills aimed at placing Polish courts firmly under political control.

“It seems that the reality inside the ruling camp is more complex than we might think,” said Rafal Chwedoruk, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw, in an interview.

There were already whispers of growing friction between the two leaders, an apparent schism that reflects a broader divide that has split Poland. The country was once in the vanguard of the democratic change that swept the region after the collapse of communism. But it has steadily moved toward light authoritarianism and strident nationalism under Law and Justice, which has systematically dismantled much of that progress.

Law and Justice officials, seemingly blindsided by the vetoes, retreated to Kaczynski’s office in the party headquarters to discuss ways forward. In a speech to the nation, Beata Szydlo, the prime minister, defended the legislation and insisted the party would not give up.

“The president’s veto has slowed down the proceedings on reform,” Szydlo said. “But we will not back down from the path of repairing the state. We will not give in to pressures.”

Exactly how the party will proceed — whether it will seek to overturn the president’s veto, or come up with fresh legislation — she did not say.

Since assuming power, Law and Justice has drawn growing criticism from European Union officials and political opponents for a series of initiatives that, step by step, have placed formerly independent institutions more firmly under ruling party control. Warnings from Brussels were met with defiance and counter-warnings to stay out of Poland’s domestic politics.

One of the laws he vetoed would have forced the resignation of all Supreme Court justices, with their replacements to be selected by the justice minister. The other would have given government-appointed members effective veto power in the National Council of the Judiciary, which selects judicial candidates. Both will be sent back to Parliament.

Alik Keplicz / Associated Press Malgorzata Gersdorf, head of Poland’s Supreme Court, hands roses to protesters at the court building in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday. The protests were over bills seen as assaults on the judicial system.