In an evening vote on Wednesday (Dec.20), the Polish parliament adopted a resolution meant to fix the country's contested judiciary council (KRS). The resolution underscores that three previous resolutions regarding the appointment of the council justices - passed in 2018, 2021, and 2022 respectively - were adopted in violation of the Polish constitution. The document also calls on the KRS justices appointed under unconstitutional procedures to immediately step down from office.
The lower house of parliament, the Sejm, on Wednesday passed a resolution aimed to restore the constitutional function of the National Council of the Judiciary "within the democratic rule of law state". The draft had been submitted by a group of lawmakers from Civic Coalition, PSL-Third Way, Poland 2050-Third Way, and New Left.
The resolution mentions that three resolutions passed by the Sejm in 2018, 2021, and 2022 respectively regarding the appointment of KRS justices violated the constitution and calls on current KRS justices appointed under unlawful procedure to resign from sitting in the council.
In the vote, 239 lawmakers were in favor of the resolution, 169 were against, and there were no abstentions. The resolution was backed by MPs from Civic Coalition, Poland 2050-Third Way, PSL-Third Way, and New Left. PiS and Confederation were against. A total of 52 lawmakers did not take part in the vote, including 40 PiS MPs.
In November, the Sejm voted in four new members of the National Chamber of the Judiciary representing the parliament. All four were candidates of the then opposition groupings: Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, Robert Kropiwnicki, Tomasz Zimoch and Anna Maria Żukowska.
Candidates put forward by the PiS party - Marek Ast, Bartosz Kownacki, Arkadiusz Mularczyk and Kazimierz Smoliński - were all rejected in te vote.
In the previous parliamentary term, all seats in the KRS reserved for representatives of the Sejm were filled by PiS MPs.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24