Sejm likely to vote on "Lex Tusk". Obmudsman: this bill is unconstitutional

Ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) say that liberal opposition party Civic Platform (PO) allowed Poland to become dangerously dependent on Russian fossil fuels when they were in government from 2007 to 2015, raising questions about whether they were under Moscow's sway.

PO rejects this criticism and opposition figures have labelled the bill "Lex Tusk", saying it merely aims to eliminate PO leader and former prime minister Donald Tusk from the political scene ahead of elections scheduled for October or November.

Civic Coalition MPs held a press conference devoted to the planned vote.

"Not so long ago Jarosław Kaczyński said, referring to PiS, they would be changing Poland's political system. I want to stress as strongly as possible that by today's vote in the Sejm, Kaczyński is launching a coup d'etat in Poland, and liquidates normal democratic systems in which citizens choose their representatives. He is creating a stituation in which a tumor of sorts, called a "commission for checking Russian influence", is nothing but a mechanism for eliminating policians troublesome to Law and Justice. Primarily, Donald Tusk," said former Interior Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz.

"This is obviuosly a symptom of fear, but not only that. This is a situation in which a political party, backed by one third of Polish voters, wants to change Poland's system by means of a parliamentary coup d'etat. Today we will witness an attempt at this coup. I'd like us all, including the media, to be aware that this is happening. This is the end of democracy in Poland," Sienkiewicz stressed, adding that the committee is meant to "eliminate the opposition from the public sphere".

Civic Coalition MP Marcin Kierwiński said the bill "has been written in the Cyrillic script" and that "it mentally originated from the Kremlin". "Only there prosecutors, judges, and special services operate as one person. Only there the government fights the opposition in such a digraceful manner. Only there those in power bring out the big guns and use the whole state apparatus to destroy the leader of the biggest opposition party," he added.

Kierwiński called the bill "the biggest oddity in the last 30 years" as well as "a symptom of hate for the Polish people, but also a symptom of fear". In his view, if passed, the bill would introduce "Stalinist methods" of fighting the opposition.

"We want the law on the commission for examining Russian influences to come into force and for the commission to be able to work," PiS spokesman Rafał Bochenek said on Thursday.

"If Mr Donald Tusk has something on his conscience... he should be afraid."

The idea of forming a commission to look into Russian influence in Poland was in fact first put forward by Tusk in 2022.

The commission would investigate the period 2007-2022 and would have the power to ban people found to have acted under Russian influence from holding security clearance or working in roles where they are responsible for public funds for ten years, effectively disqualifying them from public office.

Its members would be chosen by parliament, where PiS can command a narrow majority.

Poland's Human Rights Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek has said that the bill is unconstitutional and would mean that a public administrative body would carry out functions which should be reserved for the courts.

Poland's upper house of parliament, the Senate, voted in favour of throwing out the bill, a position that was upheld by a parliamentary commission on Wednesday.

The bill would have to be signed by President Andrzej Duda to become law.