Poland’s First Supreme Court President Małgorzata Manowska announces she will not seek re-election, citing political obstacles.
Manowska’s Decision Not to Run for Another Term
Małgorzata Manowska has confirmed she will not seek another term as First President of Poland’s Supreme Court. “I have already made the decision. I will not apply for another term as First President of the Supreme Court, unless there are extraordinary circumstances,” she told “Rzeczpospolita” in an interview.
“I have been saying for a long time that I am ready to resign from my position if needed. And that need has now arrived,” she emphasized. Manowska also criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk, stating that “he is not fulfilling his duties and does not provide countersignature to presidential decisions regarding the judiciary.”
She explained that if she were to run for the position of First President, the president would need to appoint someone to lead the General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges, where candidates would be selected. “And that, according to established practice, requires countersignature, which the prime minister would probably not grant,” she added.
Selection of New First President of the Supreme Court
Małgorzata Manowska’s six-year term ends on May 26. “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” reported at the end of January that a General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges has been called for February 24, which will select candidates for the position of First President of the Supreme Court.
According to the law on the Supreme Court, the First President is appointed by the president from among five candidates selected by the General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges.
Małgorzata Manowska’s Career in the Supreme Court
Manowska’s appointment as First President of the Supreme Court has been controversial from the beginning. The judge was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Andrzej Duda in 2018 at the request of the new National Council of the Judiciary, which is why many lawyers consider her a “neo-judge.”
In May 2020, when the General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges selected five candidates for the position of First President, Judge Włodzimierz Wróbel received the most votes. Nevertheless, President Andrzej Duda decided to appoint Małgorzata Manowska as First President of the Supreme Court.
“I have known the president for 17 years and would be a hypocrite if I denied this acquaintance. We visited each other and still do, privately from time to time. I was at the president’s and first lady’s in Krakow, and a presidential visit happens at my place. Friends? You could say that,” Manowska said in January 2024 in an interview with Radio ZET about Andrzej Duda.
