Foto: BB.LV / Кароль Навроцкий
Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, has proposed a "constitutional reboot" initiative, which he envisions will put an end to the political confrontation surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal. According to LETA, citing TVP, the leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL) suggested amendments to the Constitution that would provide a transitional mechanism for appointing judges and subsequently change the system of their selection. > "We have prepared a draft of amendments to the Constitution," Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on Thursday. According to the politician, the main goal of the initiative is to ensure public calm, the rule of law, and restore trust in the Constitutional Tribunal. ### Why Did the Conflict Arise? The political crisis is linked to the appointment of new judges to the Constitutional Tribunal. President of Poland Karol Nawrocki refuses to accept the oath from five judges elected by parliament with the support of a majority of the ruling parties. The confrontation between the president and the ruling coalition has exacerbated the situation within the tribunal itself. Last Friday, one of the five elected judges, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, suspended the tribunal's chairman, Bohdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy for a month. After that, being the most senior judge, she took over the tribunal herself. The conflict has heightened political tension in the country and sparked protests a year before parliamentary elections. ### What Does "Constitutional Reboot" Mean? Kosiniak-Kamysz proposes to find a compromise between the ruling coalition, President Nawrocki, and the national-conservative opposition. According to his initiative, new judges must first be appointed during a transitional period, and then a new system for selecting members of the Constitutional Tribunal should be developed. > "We want to propose a solution that does not determine who will win this dispute, who is right or who is better," the Deputy Prime Minister explained. According to him, this is not about the victory of one political side, but about restoring trust in the judicial institution. > "Only such a constitutional reboot can help restore public trust in the court and maintain public order," the politician wrote on social media platform X. ### There Are Not Enough Votes to Amend the Constitution Despite the proposal for compromise, implementing the initiative will not be easy. To amend the Constitution of Poland, a two-thirds majority is needed in the lower house of parliament — the Sejm. The ruling coalition does not have such a majority. It lacks several dozen votes, so without opposition support, it is impossible to change the country's fundamental law. Thus, the future of the initiative will depend on the willingness of political opponents to negotiate. ### The Conflict May Affect the 2027 Elections Experts believe that changes in the appointment process for judges alone may not be sufficient for a long-term resolution of the crisis. Senior Research Coordinator at Democracy Reporting International, Jakub Jaraczevski, stated to TVP World that an inter-party agreement on more extensive judicial reforms will be required. However, in his assessment, reaching such an agreement amid political polarization will be extremely difficult. The expert predicts that the dispute over the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Tribunal will become one of the main issues in the parliamentary elections of 2027.
