Polish Deputy PM Proposes Constitutional Reset to End Constitutional Tribunal Deadlock

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister and leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL) Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on Thursday a proposal for a "constitutional reset". It is meant as a way out of the political deadlock that has formed around the Constitutional Tribunal, the court that reviews whether laws comply with the constitution. The proposal matters because the dispute is heightening political tension a year before parliamentary elections.

What the proposal involves

Kosiniak-Kamysz called for new tribunal judges to be appointed during a transitional period, to be followed by a new judicial selection system. He said a draft of constitutional amendments has been prepared, aimed at achieving social peace, the rule of law and restoring the tribunal's credibility. The politician stressed that the solution does not determine who wins the dispute or who is right.

He presented the plan as a compromise between the governing coalition on one side and President Karol Nawrocki and the national-conservative opposition on the other.

How the deadlock arose

President Nawrocki has refused to accept the oath of office from five new tribunal judges nominated by parliament with the backing of the ruling parties' majority. The conflict escalated last Friday, when Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of those five judges, suspended tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy from office for a month. As the longest-serving judge, she then took over leadership of the tribunal herself.

Prospects

Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament. The ruling coalition is short by several dozen votes and needs opposition support, so the chances of adoption are slim.

Jakub Jaraczewski, senior research coordinator at Democracy Reporting International, told TVP World that a lasting solution would require cross-party agreement on broader judicial reforms, but described that as hard to achieve in Poland's polarised political climate. He predicts the dispute over judicial appointments will become one of the main issues in the 2027 parliamentary elections.