Poland’s Sejm is preparing changes to its rules of procedure, granting the Prime Minister unrestricted speaking rights while curtailing those of other officials.
Changes to Sejm Regulations Proposed
Amendments to the Sejm’s regulations are being considered, which would grant the Prime Minister the ability to speak at any point during parliamentary sessions. The draft legislation also allows the head of the Supreme Audit Office and the Head of the Presidential Chancellery to speak out of turn, but only once per agenda item.
The Sejm may discuss the proposed changes as early as next week, with a parliamentary session scheduled for March 25-27 potentially including the amendment on its agenda. The proposal was prepared by the Sejm Presidium and reviewed by the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Deputies’ Affairs and Immunity.
PiS Criticizes the “Lex Bogucki”
The opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party has criticized the proposed changes, labeling them “lex Bogucki.” They argue the changes are specifically aimed at limiting the speaking opportunities of Presidential Chief of Staff Zbigniew Bogucki.
Expanded Role for the Sejm Speaker
The proposed changes also outline an expanded role for the Sejm Speaker, allowing them to grant speaking rights to members of the Council of Ministers within the scope of their competencies, either out of turn or immediately after the opening of a session.
The draft legislation stipulates that the President of the Supreme Court, the President of the Constitutional Tribunal, the Prosecutor General, and the Chairman of the National Council of the Judiciary will be limited to speaking once per agenda item on matters within their statutory jurisdiction.
Committee Approval and Debate
The committee approved the project with two amendments, one proposed by committee chairman Jarosław Urbaniak (KO) and another by parliamentary legislators. The changes focus on Article 186 of the Sejm’s Rules of Procedure, which concerns the extraordinary privilege of additional speaking time.
According to the proposed changes, the Sejm Speaker will grant the Prime Minister the floor whenever requested. During the committee session, PiS members unsuccessfully attempted to reject the project in the first reading, with former Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek (PiS) claiming the changes were intended to target the Presidential Chancellery and President Karol Nawrocki.
Defense of the Changes
Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Dorota Niedziela (KO) defended the changes, stating they were not intended to silence the Head of the Presidential Chancellery but to curb abuses. She argued that Bogucki had exploited loopholes in the rules to speak repeatedly and stray from the main topic of discussion.
Urbaniak emphasized Poland’s parliamentary-cabinet system and that Article 186 concerns an extraordinary speaking privilege. He added that Bogucki had repeatedly violated established norms, unlike the heads of chancellery of previous presidents. He proposed amendments to regulate and limit the speaking opportunities of both members of the Council of Ministers and other officials.