President Duda skillfully outmaneuvered Justice Minister Żurek using a PiS-era law the minister detests but must now apply.
The President’s Strategic Move
President Duda played this game like a grandmaster who, in a complicated middle game, predicted all variants of Donald Tusk’s government ten moves ahead. Instead of the “great reset” announced by the government, we have a great “let me check” after which Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek found himself trapped with a law from the PiS times, which he sincerely hates but must now use.
Justice Ministry’s Broken Promises
For the past few months, the Ministry of Justice painted a vision of a joyful return to the family of European law-abiding nations. The bill on the National Council of the Judiciary was meant to be a shining key that would open all the locks in Brussels and Luxembourg.
The Failed Compromise
Minister Żurek repeatedly emphasized that the bill was a rotten but necessary compromise: it didn’t shorten the term of the current Council, and granted all judges the right to elect its members regardless of when they were appointed. However, the President couldn’t be convinced of this concept, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Political Theater
To be honest, nobody really tried to convince the President, and both men didn’t pretend to seek common ground. Instead of substantive negotiations, we observed a festival of malice, described with male metaphors about setups, boxing, and knockouts.