Polish leader retracts controversial “Russian influence” law
Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the commission, which will investigate allegations about “Russian influence on governments”, has prepared urgent changes to the founding law, so that deputies will not be included in the commission and no one will be excluded. from the public office.
Duda, at a press conference on the subject, responded to criticism of the law he signed earlier this week. Saying that the changes he made would prevent parliamentarians from participating in the commission, Duda said he would allow appeals to be made to the general court instead of the administrative court.
Duda noted that the updated law would also abolish the most controversial part of the original law, which allowed politicians to be removed from office. Saying that he is upset by the criticism against him, which he describes as malicious, Duda said the changes are a test for Poland’s political elite.
Duda shared the information that the changes will be submitted to the Sejm (lower house of parliament).
THE OPPOSITION CAN BE OBJECTIVE
Poland is going to the polls in the fall and opposition figures in the country say the commission, to be set up under the newly passed law on “Russian influence”, may target prominent opposition figures such as Donald Tusk, the former prime minister and currently the leader of the Civic Platform (PO), the largest opposition party, before the general elections, he argues.
The ruling Law and Justice Party accuses Tusk of being too friendly to Russia as prime minister between 2007 and 2014 and of negotiating pro-Russian natural gas deals before traveling to Brussels as president of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.
It was announced that the commission would have the power to overturn an administrative decision it thought was made under Russian influence, and that those who made such decisions could be barred from holding public office for up to 10 years. Duda stated that he would step back and remove the “ban” provisions with his latest regulation. (AA)