2020-02-26 12:52 update: 2020-02-27, 19:46
Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Photo: PAP/Mateusz Marek
Reform of the judicial system must be continued if there are conducive political conditions; one of the basics is the victory of President Andrzej Duda in elections, ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has said in a press interview.
Speaking in an interview published in Wednesday's edition of the Gazeta Polska weekly, Kaczynski said the opposition had been talking less about justice reforms recently because they were awaiting a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in connection with which they had "hopes and political plans."
Kaczynski went on to say he considered the CJEU to be taking political sides in the dispute, favouring the opposition. He said this was no easy task as it had to be done in a way to not upset other countries. "Please remember that those who so strongly demand the disciplining of Poland would not necessarily allow the CJEU or any other of the EU institutions to get mixed up in their internal affairs," Kaczynski told the weekly. "One thing is certain - the issue of judicial reforms will be present in the campaign, even if it is a bit quietened now."
Asked whether the "courts issue" would be one of the main subjects of the presidential election campaign, Kaczynski replied: "that supposition can be adopted with a large dose of probability."
"But to be clear," he continued. "I don't judge today what the CJEU's decision will be. I can expect that it will be as unfavourable for Poland as possible. And here arises a question about the boundaries of interference in the internal matters of the member states, because as I've already mentioned not everybody looks at it favourably. However, there is no doubt that EU institutions are encouraged by politicians of the total opposition to attack Poland and without these encouragements the attacks would either be much weaker or would not exist at all," the PiS leader stated.
Kaczynski went on to say that even if the incumbent president failed to win re-election, the court reforms would go ahead with an opposition president. "The United Right has the strongest electoral mandate to rule for years, we will continue carrying out the electoral programme even with an opposition president. There will be no early (parliamentary - PAP) election. We have a stable majority in the Sejm (lower house of parliament - PAP) and nothing will change that." (PAP)
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