Poland Experiences Protests Over Recent Law Changes

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Summary: The President of Poland changed the law relating to how many judges are needed to rule on new cases, putting a high favor on the conservative party.

The European Commission is concerned with recent political moves by Poland’s ruling party. The controversial changes made by the conservative Law and Justice Party may be undermining the independence of the countries legal system, causing the EU to get involved.

  

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The PiS named five judges to the 15-member court, resulting in protests over what many feel is an attempt to undermine the sanctity of the nation’s ability to provide checks and balances on the legislature.

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Soon after the addition of the judges, President Andrzej Duda signed into law a controversial amendment that stipulates that the court needs a two-thirds majority vote before most rulings can be adopted. With five new members from a single party, they will have significant power over the minority when passing or denying new resolutions. Now the 15-member court needs at least 13 present to reach the two-thirds vote.

The previous law required at least five judges to vote on any new case. The European Commission wants the new law to be postponed until it can be reviewed later in January.

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The PiS party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynskitold a large crowd, “we won the election, but we have no right to set laws and remodel Poland.” They argue that they have been unable to pass any policies. President Duda said, “It’s hard for me to understand the situation we’ve had until now, in which, de facto (just) three judges could rule on the legal fate of the legislation passed by the parliament elected by the people.”

Source: http://time.com/4162882/poland-constitutional-court-amendment-european-commission/

Photo: dw.com