Polish president caves in to people pressure over controversial Supreme Court bill
ADVERTISEMENTThe Polish President Andrzej Duda has announced he will veto two of the three controversial laws to replace supreme court judges with government appointees.
#BREAKING: Polish President Andrzej Duda vetos law on Supreme Court which gave Parliament power over supreme court pic.twitter.com/rAZbAEFktE
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) July 24, 2017
Tens of thousands of Poles have taken to the streets to protest over the legislation, seen by many as an attack on judicial independence by the president’s ruling right-wing Law and Justice party.
‘The independence of the judiciary is in danger’: Massive protests erupt in Poland https://t.co/qri4jsOgzCpic.twitter.com/Cjj8ejPdkI
— BI Military&Defense (@BI_Defense) July 23, 2017
The government plan was to force Supreme Court judges into early retirement then new judges selected by the Justice Ministry installed.
Paris in solidarity with Poland, hundreds came yesterday to protest for democracy
PulseofEurope</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sadnajwyzszy?src=hash">#sadnajwyzszy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZamachLipcowy?src=hash">#ZamachLipcowy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/veto?src=hash">#veto</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3xVeto?src=hash">#3xVeto</a> <a href="https://t.co/1XX2I2O0jc">pic.twitter.com/1XX2I2O0jc</a></p>— Marta Zaraska (mzaraska) July 24, 2017
Along with mass protest across Poland the EU slammed the move saying it placed judicial autonomy at risk.
The president said: “I have decided to send back to the lower house of parliament, which means I will veto the bill on the Supreme Court, and the National Council of the Judiciary.”
Polish currency zloty immediately rose against the euro as investors backed the president’s decision.