Contentious Court Reforms Signed by Polish President Affects the Country

The contentious court reforms that were signed by the Polish President last Monday created issues for the country. Although the amendment was embedded with controversy in relation to paralysing the judicial body, the amendment was drafted and legally passed on to be a law.

According to a recent post by Aljazeera America, the latest progress led to a constitutional crisis that started when the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party, the winner of October's parliamentary elections, selected five judges to be a part of the 15-member court. The government then explained that the step was crucial for the court to appropriately mirror the results of the elections. In line with that, the appointments were branded as illegal by the opposition leaders and at the same time prompted public protests.

As an outcome, it amplified investor jitters as well as drawing in accusations from different groups particularly the rights activists that are the ruling majority. Rights activists are responsible for undermining democratic checks and balances.

Also, the disputed amendment is affecting the judicial body as well as the constitution. It could lead to more crisis for the nation. This could compel the head of the constitutional court to incorporate the five judges elected by the PiS-controlled parliament in the court's composition or abscond the court that is unable to pass decrees as stated in a report by Herald Scotland.

Meanwhile, Reuters relayed, that PiS lawmakers declared that the amendment was required to clear up the legal confusion after the constitutional court ruled earlier this month. In relation to that, another amendment passed by the former parliament partially violated the constitution.

However, President Andrzej Duda stated, "The amendment will improve the constitutional court's reputation and rulings by an increased majority will have a stronger legal standing." Duda further added, "It's hard for me to understand the situation we've had until now, in which, just three judges could rule on the legal fate of legislation passed by the parliament elected by the people."

The contentious court reforms that were approved and signed by President Duda aims on ensuring stability. As the amendment reformed into a law, it is designed to address the crisis as well as ensure solidity in the judicial sector of the nation.

Tags

Polish President, court reforms, constitutional crisis, Law and Justice Party, parliamentary elections, PiS lawmakers, President Andrzej Duda

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