President OKS law on Russia’s influence that could target opposition
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday he would sign a bill that creates a powerful commission, ostensibly meant to investigate Russian influence in Poland but which critics view as a tool to remove from political life the opponents of the ruling party— mostly notably opposition leader Donald Tusk.
Parliament on Friday approved the law, which was proposed by the conservative Law and Justice ruling party, as the country heads toward a parliamentary election in the autumn.
Experts say that it violates the Polish Constitution and the opposition called on Duda to reject it.
Duda said hewas approving the bill because discussions on Russia’s influence on politics are being held in the U.S. and in some European countries. He said that a commission for investigating Russia’s influences on European institutions and in individual countries should also be formed at the European Union level. Polandwill push for it at the next European Council session, he said.
He said transparency in public life is crucial and stressed that Poland has good experience in public commissions investigating key social and political matters.
“Transparency in clarifying important public and political matters is of tantamount importance to me,” Duda said in his address. “The public should form its own opinion on howits representatives are ... taking care of its interests.”
The bill will take effect within a week of its publication.
Addressing concerns fromcritics, he insisted the bill doesn’t give the commission the power to eliminate anyone from public or political life. Bowing partially to critics who say the law is unconstitutional, Duda said he was also sending it to the Constitutional Tribunal to reviewthe bill for conformity with the supreme law.
U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski said that Washington was “well aware of the concerns expressed by many regarding this law. And we fully appreciate and understand why President Duda forwarded this bill to the Constitutional Tribunal to ascertain whether these concerns render the law unconstitutional.”
Brzezinski said on TVN24 that the U.S. government “shares concerns” about laws that negatively affect the ability of Poles to vote for candidates of their own choice.
The opposition in Poland reacted with strong criticism.
Tusk, who was to lead a prodemocracy march in Warsaw on Sunday, tweeted at Duda, saying “Mr. President, let me invite you for public consultation on June 4. It will be easy to hear and see us fromthe windows of your palace.”
Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a member of Tusk’s Civic Coalition, tweeted that “they (the ruling party) want to probe alleged ‘Russian influences’ based on a kind of ‘ law’ that Moscow would not be ashamed of. And the president signs it.”
“This is another proof that that the best antidote to ‘Russian influences’ in Poland would be to remove this team from power. Let’s do it (in elections) this fall,” Trzaskowski tweeted.