Former Poland presidents rebuke governing party

Three former presidents of Poland have attacked the policies of the governing party in an open letter, accusing it of violating the constitution.

Lech Walesa, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Bronislaw Komorowski who governed Poland as president in the 90s up 2015 signed the letter published Monday on the front page of Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's second largest newspaper, according to BBC News. Seven other prominent Polish figures, including former foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, also signed the letter.

The debate centers on the procedures in the main legislative court which the government wants to change. The court says the procedural changes are unconstitutional. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo claims she has the mandate to make the changes.

Newsweek reported that the letter said a row over appointments to the country's constitutional court " is a realistic threat to [Poland's] membership rights in the EU being limited." In the conflict, the ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), has been accused of neglecting due process in rushing through favored candidates.

The European Commission announced an investigation in January into the observance of the rule of law in Poland. The way court appointments had been handled was one of the reasons cited for the probe.  

Since assuming power, the government has taken criticism for passing a media law that gives it expanded control over state television and radio. It was also chastised for the proposal of governing party officials to ban abortion.

The letter also warned of additional "draconian" laws that the party in power plans to adopt, reported the New York Times. "Law and Justice plans to continue their actions, which destroy the constitutional order, paralyze the proceedings of the Constitutional Tribunal and the entire judicial system," the letter further stated.

The government, in dismissing the letter, pointed that all three past presidents have been opponents of PiS paramount leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Szydlo simply boasted of their convincing victory in the October elections, in which PiS won a majority in Parliament. The electoral triumph gave the party the power to rule without the need to form a coalition with lesser parties. 

Tags

Poland, Lech Walesa, EU, rule of law, polish constitution

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