Polish president finally emerges as independent in judiciary row
WARSAW, Poland—In Poland’s mostwatched political satire, the president is mocked as a marginal and pitiful figure. He waits endlessly outside the office of the country’s powerful ruling party chairman, who can never be bothered to see him, the chairman’s secretary not even aware of the president’s position or real name.
The writers of the hit series “The Chairman’s Ear” will now have to change their script.
This week President Andrzej Duda took the country by surprise by vetoing two of three contentious laws seen as an attack on an independent judiciary after days of mass nationwide protests.
It was Duda’s first substantial independent act in nearly two years of approving every key law the ruling Law and Justice party has passed, even moves seen as violations of the constitution in the young democracy.
Hand-picked as the party’s candidate in 2015 elections by party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Duda has been commonly described by critics as a “puppet” or a “notary” who merely rubber-stamps the party’s populist program.
A feature of anti-government street protests in recent months has been an effigy of Kaczynski controlling two puppets, Duda and Prime Minister Beata Szydlo.
“It took Andrzej Duda two years to understand that being Poland’s president does not mean the passive signing of legislation that the ruling party puts on his desk,” Robert Felus, editor of the Fakt daily, wrote Tuesday.
Duda’s decision to veto two bills gave hope to the many thousands of Poles who have been protesting for more than a week, afraid the overhaul of the court system spelled an irreversible step toward authoritarianism.
They have rejoiced at the way their protests stopped two of the bills, despite disappointment he signed the third on Tuesday.
Law and Justice says that Poland’s justice system is corrupt and inefficient and is calling for deep changes, including a purge of many judges. It is a view that is shared by many Poles, including President Duda.
Political observers in Poland believe Duda’s independent decision, however, signals a rift in the ranks of the ruling party and raises Duda’s chances if he chooses to run for second term in 2020 by giving him an independent profile.