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🇵🇱 Poland /Elections & Politics

Presidential aide calls Maciej Berek’s Constitutional Tribunal bid ‘a step too far’

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Poland’s Sejm is due to choose a Constitutional Tribunal judge from candidates Maciej Berek, nominated by the Civic Coalition, and Artur Kotowski, nominated by Law and Justice.
  • Presidential aide Rafał Leśkiewicz said there were open questions about whether Berek meets the legal requirements, citing concerns voiced by former tribunal presidents and rights organizations.
  • Nine civil-society foundations have urged Berek to withdraw and called on parliament to select an independent, non-political candidate.

Maciej Berek’s candidacy for Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has crossed a line, according to presidential aide Rafał Leśkiewicz. Asked about the nomination on Thursday by Telewizja Republika, Leśkiewicz said the central question was whether Berek met the statutory requirements for the post.

“That is an open question,” Leśkiewicz said. He pointed to doubts raised by various people, including former presidents of the Constitutional Tribunal and nongovernmental organizations working on the rule of law. “They say clearly: something does not add up, something is not right. Prime Minister, this is a step too far,” he said, repeating that assessment.

That is an open question.

· Rafał LeśkiewiczHe questioned whether Maciej Berek meets the statutory requirements for a Constitutional Tribunal judgeship.

The Sejm is scheduled to select one judge on Friday. The parliamentary Justice and Human Rights Committee is due to assess both candidates on Thursday. The Civic Coalition put forward Berek, while Law and Justice nominated Artur Kotowski.

They say clearly: something does not add up, something is not right. Prime Minister, this is a step too far.

· Rafał LeśkiewiczHe summarized criticism of Berek’s candidacy and characterized it as exceeding acceptable limits.

Leśkiewicz said any decision on whether President Karol Nawrocki would accept Berek’s oath, if parliament approves the nomination, would belong to the president. “When he makes that decision, we will say,” he added.

Nine foundations focused partly on the rule of law have jointly appealed to Berek to withdraw. They also urged the Sejm to choose a candidate who could guarantee independence and political impartiality. The signatories include the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, the Stefan Batory Foundation and Watchdog Polska. Former tribunal presidents Andrzej Zoll and Jerzy Stępień have also publicly expressed doubts. Under Poland’s 2016 law, a Constitutional Tribunal judge must demonstrate legal knowledge and meet the requirements for service as a Supreme Administrative Court or Supreme Court judge. Parliamentary documents describe Berek as a practicing legal counsel since 2001.

When he makes that decision, we will say.

· Rafał LeśkiewiczHe declined to say when President Karol Nawrocki would decide whether to accept Berek’s oath if parliament approves the nomination.
About this summary

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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