In Poland, the opposition will be investigated by a special public commission that accuses the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party of supporting “Russian influence” in the country. President Andrzej Duda signed the controversial law that will soon convene the body that will remove from public life those responsible for the so-called “Russian influence” on Poland’s internal security between 2007 and 2022. “People have a right to know, and I, as President and as a citizen, want to know who is lobbying for certain decisions and who is facilitating certain deals,” he said.
The law proposed by the conservative party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, an ally of Giorgia Meloni’s Italian Brotherhood in Europe, is being referred to by the media as “Lex Tusk” because, according to the opposition, the law was drafted in light of next fall’s political elections. Shoot Donald Tusk, former prime minister from 2007 to 2014 and former president of the Council of Europe from 2014 to 2019, and currently the leader of the main opposition party, the Civic Platform (Po).
The measure, which, according to many experts, would be unconstitutional, was first proposed by the ruling coalition late last year. It was later approved by the Sejm (lower house of parliament, where the government has a majority) in April, and was rejected by the Senate, the upper house controlled by the opposition. But on Friday, the Sejm, with greater powers, overturned the Senate’s decision and passed the bill, sending it for presidential approval.
Tusk, who was in parliament at the time of the vote, said the move was an indication that the majority feared it would fall from power after the election. Upon discussion and objections, the head of state, re-signing the text, decided to submit it to the Constitutional Court for review, he said, “In a normal democratic country, a president would never sign such a Stalinist law.” Marcin Kierwinski, assistant to TVN 24 broadcaster Po.
The parliamentary commission will investigate the period 2007-2022 and will have the power to disqualify and ban anyone found to have acted under Russian influence from obtaining security clearance or working in positions where they will be responsible for public funds, for a period of 10 years. actually from the government office. Poland’s dependence on Russian fuel has steadily declined even before Russia’s war against Ukraine began in February last year. Construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal allowing the import of non-Russian gas began while Tusk was in power. But still, during Tusk’s tenure, in 2010 Poland signed an agreement with Russia’s Gazprom, which is mentioned in the bill’s official explanatory note.
As the Notes from Poland reported, Ordo Iuris, a law group that had previously supported the ruling party’s efforts to tighten abortion laws and limit sex education in schools, had a negative view of the commission, and according to him it would be “half-one”. -the judiciary … lacks many safeguards to ensure a fair trial”. The group also warned that the “ambiguous definition of Russian influence” would allow the commission’s arbitrary use and asked questions about its access to classified information. Ordo Iuris said that this “clearly unconstitutional structure” It concluded that it would effectively undermine the fight against Russian influence “to the detriment of internal security”.
A poll by United Surveys for the news site Wirtualna Polska found that a large majority of the public, 61%, believed the commission was “a pre-election gimmick aimed at discrediting political opponents”. Only 20% believe there is “a body that can reliably explain irregularities regarding correct action and cooperation with Russia”.
Continue reading on Europa.today.it
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
