Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s chief of staff declared the recent oath-taking of Constitutional Tribunal judges in the Sejm invalid, calling it a “political farce.”
President Rejects Sejm Oath-Taking
President Karol Nawrocki does not recognize the oath-taking ceremony held in the Sejm for the newly elected judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, according to Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the President’s Chancellery. Bogucki characterized the event as “at best a political farce.”
The statement came after six judges selected in March took oaths in the Sejm on Thursday. This included Dariusz Szostek and Magdalena Bentkowska, who had previously sworn oaths before the President, as well as Krystian Markiewicz, Maciej Taborowski, Marcin Dziurda, and Anna Korwin-Piotrowska.
Bogucki’s Criticism of the Procedure
“The President in no way recognizes what happened today in the Sejm as an oath-taking, because it cannot be called an oath-taking. It can be called at best a political farce,” Bogucki stated during a press conference. He emphasized that an oath-taking “should take place before the President of the Republic, i.e., in the presence of the President, as was the case with the oath-taking of two judges on April 1st before the head of state.”
No Prior Indication of Rejection
Bogucki added that no representative of the President’s Chancellery had indicated that the oath-taking of the remaining four judges “would not be accepted, that this oath-taking would not take place.”
Accusations of Political Motivation
“These judges could have waited, they could have armed themselves with patience. I do not know whether it is political emotion, bad advice, bad whispers, or political pressure that caused them to undertake today an act that is, on the one hand, grotesque, and on the other hand, extremely sad,” Bogucki said.
Formal Declaration Before a Notary
Bogucki noted that “today, a certain declaration was made by persons elected to the function of judges of the Constitutional Tribunal before a notary.”