WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president and new prime minister said Monday they remain divided over the key factor of the country’s rule of law, despite one-on-one talks seeking unusual ground in some areas.
Centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with pro-opposition President Andrzej Duda to discuss Poland’s security ahead of Tusk’s planned visit to Ukraine, but also to identify areas where they can cooperate in the society’s interest above their sharp political divisions.
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In a sign that bodes well for their long-term cooperation, the two later said they had not found common ground on the delicate ground of the rule of law, where the previous Polish government and Duda himself clashed with the European Union.
Tusk’s government is taking steps to oppose the questionable policies of its predecessors, making new appointments to key posts, fighting for public media, and even arresting two former government ministers convicted and sentenced by a court for abuse of power.
Duda said he had “called” on Tusk to leave things as they were in some spaces and to “renounce attempts to break the law. “
He said that their talk Monday centered on the arrest last week of the previous interior minister, Mariusz Kamiński and his deputy, Maciej Wąsik, whom Duda is seeking to pardon in a lengthy procedure, and on the recent change of chief national prosecutor, opposed by Duda and the previous ruling team.
Last week, Duda, a doctor of law, was denounced when he accused Tusk of applying “terror to the rule of law. “
According to Duda’s adviser, Marcin Mastalerek, the president would veto the government’s proposed bills.
Duda’s second and final term ends in August 2025, but his position could be weakened after the May 2025 election. In force since 2015, Duda has been criticized for circumventing (even violating) the Polish constitution while supporting the Law and Justice party government.
Tusk stressed Monday that abiding by the law is one of his government’s principal guidelines and that all Poles, from top politicians to teenagers, are equally responsible before the law. He said, however, he did not think he had persuaded Duda to see the rule of law in the same way.
Tusk said his coalition government, which was formed last month after an alliance of parties opposed to law and justice won parliamentary elections, will continue to make difficult decisions “because there is no other option to erase the scenario in Poland. “
Referring to the obstruction that Duda and Law and Justice have been mounting on his government, Tusk said he had been expecting that because “it’s the result of the determination of those who have lost power to still keep their privileges, their position or sense of impunity.” But, he added, “there can be none of that.”
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