The Backtracking By Poland’s President on Anti-Russia Commission
On Friday, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda proposed changes to a law he signed earlier in the week aimed at creating a commission of inquiry to investigate politicians with pro-Russian leanings. The proposed changes seek to eliminate the controversy surrounding the law while still preventing illegal Russian influence in the upcoming national elections. This move was in response to the public outcry which the law had triggered.
PiS party against Tusk
The commission is the idea of ruling party Law and Justice, or PiS’s founder Jarosław Kaczyński who has repeatedly accused Donald Tusk, former prime minister, of being too friendly with Moscow. The main opposition party, the Civic Platform, led by Tusk, is campaigning to win the national elections later this year.
Changes proposed by Duda
Duda proposed that instead of lawmakers sitting on the new commission, experts be chosen to investigate whether politicians and other personnel were subjected to illegal Russian influence. He is also proposing changes to the penalties that the commission can impose as well as the appeals mechanisms for decisions. In addition, most committee hearings should be held in public, except those dealing with serious national security issues to ensure greater transparency.
Criticism from opposition party
The changes were not received well by the opposition who say they will not prevent the planned pro-democracy street rally from taking place in Warsaw on Sunday. Borys Budka, a Civic Platform lawmaker, said that the changes represent “the Himalayas of hypocrisy” and that they “change nothing”.
Likely international pressure
Budka suggested that Duda succumbed not only to domestic pressure but also to criticism from abroad, including most likely from Washington, which the Polish government regards as its chief ally in countering Russia. The European Commission also sent Poland a letter on Wednesday warning that their anti-Russia law “raises serious concerns in terms of compliance with EU law.”
Opposition perspective
Polish opposition politician, Michał Kobosko from the Polska 2050 party, wrote on Twitter that Duda’s amendments showed that “the pressure makes sense.” He added that Duda was “trying to save himself by submitting a new project.” However, the present changes signify a blow to the functioning of the commission, regardless of if it is created or not.
Significance
Duda is a PiS candidate who won the presidency, but his allegiance to the party’s policies has been inconsistent, especially during his second term which will end in 2025. Duda’s most recent intervention indicates that the ruling party is divided on the issue of the commission, and that the chaos that has reigned in PiS’s pre-election campaign is worsening.
PiS party spokesperson affirms mission
Nevertheless, the ruling party has continued to insist on its plan for an anti-Russian commission. PiS spokesman Rafał Bochenek told Polish state news agency, Pap on Friday that “Jarosław Kaczyński has repeatedly emphasized that the main purpose of this law is to reveal the truth about the influence of Russian agents in Poland, and the main goal of this law is preserved even after the announced amendment proposals submitted by President Duda.”
Summary
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda proposed changes to anti-Russia commission legislation aimed at preventing illegal Russian influence in the upcoming national elections in response to public backlash. The opposition party remains critical of the proposals suggesting that they do not go far enough. The planned street rally, which seeks to protect democracy in Poland, will still go ahead despite Duda’s proposal changes. The changes also highlight a divided front between Duda and the ruling PiS party on the issue of the commission.
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Poland’s president backtracked Friday by proposing changes to a law he signed earlier this week aimed at creating a commission of inquiry pro-Russian politicianspotentially prohibiting them from carrying out their duties, that triggered a public reaction.
Presenting amendments to parliament, President Andrzej Duda said he hoped to “eliminate much of the controversy surrounding” the law. Opponents have dubbed him ‘Lex Tusk’ because his highest profile target may be former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who leads the main opposition Civic Platform party, which is campaigning to win the national elections in this autumn.
The commission is the brainchild of the ruling Law and Justice, or PiS, party. Its founder Jarosław Kaczyński has repeatedly accused Tusk of being too friendly with Moscow. The PiS government says the commission can help protect Poland from Russian interference in its election campaign at a time when Warsaw has spearheaded Western support for Kiev in its war against Moscow.
Duda presented his proposed changes at a press conference. These include not allowing lawmakers to sit on the new commission and instead proposing that “experts” be chosen to investigate whether politicians, businessmen and other were subjected to illegal Russian influence.
Duda is also proposing changes to how appeals against the commission’s decisions can be made and the penalties it can impose. To ensure greater transparency, most committee hearings should be held in public, he added, with the exception of those dealing with serious national security issues.
The opposition said Duda’s rollback would not prevent a planned pro-democracy street rally from taking place in Warsaw on Sunday. Borys Budka, a Civic Platform lawmaker, said Duda’s latest twist represented “the Himalayas of hypocrisy” and “changes nothing”.
He suggested that Duda gave in both to domestic pressure but also to criticism from abroad, including likely from Washington, which the Polish government sees as its main ally in countering Russia. The European Commission also sent a letter to Poland on Wednesday warning that its anti-Russian law “raises serious concerns in terms of compliance with EU law”.
Michał Kobosko, a politician from the opposition Polska 2050 party, wrote on Twitter that Duda’s amendments showed “the pressure makes sense”. He said that Duda was “trying to save himself by submitting a new project”.
Duda won the presidency as a PiS candidate, but his allegiance to party policies has been erratic during his second term, which ends in 2025.
By recently refusing to sign another government law and instead sending it back to the constitutional court for review, Duda has also seriously undermined the government’s hopes of releasing – before the election – billions in pandemic recovery funds from the pandemic. EU withheld by the European Commission due to EU concerns about whether Poland protects the rule of law and the independence of its judges.
Duda’s latest intervention “signifies a blow to the functioning of the commission, whether it is created or not and under what regulations,” said Maciej Czapluk, senior legal affairs analyst at think tank Polityka Insight. “It is also a signal that the ruling camp is divided on the issue of the commission and that the chaos that has reigned for some time over the PiS pre-election campaign is worsening.”
Still, Poland’s ruling party has said it is sticking to its plan for an anti-Russian commission.
“Jarosław Kaczyński has repeatedly emphasized that the main purpose of this law is to show the truth about the influence of Russian agents in Poland, and the main purpose of this law is preserved, even after the announced amendment proposals submitted by President Duda,” PiS spokesman Rafał Bochenek told Polish state news agency Pap on Friday.
https://www.ft.com/content/0623fea4-2fdd-46e5-906b-fd891471c35c
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