Constitutional Court conflict: Former court presidents back Poland's government
Two rival political camps are arguing over the appointments to Poland's Constitutional Court. Now four former presidents of the court have spoken out. Their verdict is clear.
In the ongoing dispute over Poland's constitutional court, four former presidents of the court have extended support to the pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, while President Karol Nawrocki's actions are seen as an "unprecedented breach of the court's autonomy" and unlikely to resolve the conflict. The four legal scholars explain in a joint statement that the judges appointed by the parliament have taken necessary measures to restore the functions and status of the constitutional court, vital for the rule of law and protection of civil rights and freedoms.
The signatories include former constitutional court presidents Marek Safjan, Jerzy Stepien, Bohdan Zdziennicki, and Andrzej Zoll. President Nawrocki has refused to swear in the nominated judges, and the court's president Bogdan Swieczkowski has barred them from accessing the building. The legal experts argue that the constitutional court has been in a deep crisis for over a decade, and the European Court of Human Rights and the European Union Court of Justice rulings demanding the restoration of the court's independence and impartiality have not been implemented.
Without these changes, citizens are deprived of the ability to defend their rights and can no longer file individual constitutional complaints. The steps taken by the constitutional court judges appointed by Korwin-Piotrowska aim to restore the constitutional compliance of the court, and it is crucial that they convene the general assembly scheduled for November 3 to decide on the removal of the immunity of the current court president Swieczkowski and his deputy.
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