Polish MEP clarifies controversial comments suggesting Sejm Marshal could become president amid security concerns.
Controversy on Radio ZET
A storm erupted on Radio ZET following comments by Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus. The controversy emerged during “7. Dzień Tygodnia w Radiu ZET,” hosted by Andrzej Stankiewicz on February 15. The discussion centered on Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who despite being a member of the parliamentary commission on special services, failed to complete a security questionnaire that would have granted him access to top-secret information.
Adrian Zandberg, leader of the Razem party, evaluated: “If Marshal Czarzasty had filled out that security questionnaire, nothing would have happened to him, as we’ve been beating this dead horse for the second week.” He emphasized that Czarzasty’s contacts do not pose a threat to national security. Paweł Sałek from PiS commented: “We have a situation where if something were to happen to the country’s first person, Marshal Czarzasty would serve as president. We’ve had such a situation in our history before.” Scheuring-Wielgus then interjected: “And that would be a wonderful finale.” Her remarks sparked controversy.
Scheuring-Wielgus Clarification
On the same day, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus published a social media post addressing her controversial remarks. “Dear Sirs. I want to clarify my statement from Radio ZET. In the heat of discussion during the live broadcast, I was exclusively talking about a political scenario and Włodzimierz Czarzasty as president, not about the health or life of President Andrzej Duda. I wish President Duda and everyone a long, healthy, and happy life. I understand that my words may have been misinterpreted – that was not the intention,” wrote the Left MEP.
Nawrocki’s Comments on Presidential Succession
One of the topics discussed at the National Security Council meeting was the eastern social and business contacts of Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty. “We can state it brutally, with a simple idiom: the Sejm Marshal is one heartbeat away from the presidency. If God decided to recall the president today, tomorrow the duties of president would be carried out by Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty,” said Karol Nawrocki during the public portion of the session. He noted that all doubts must be clarified.
Background on Czarzasty’s Eastern Contacts
The topic of Włodzimierz Czarzasty’s eastern social and business contacts first appeared in “Gazeta Polska,” TV Republika, and other right-wing media. These publications described business relationships between the marshal’s wife and a Russian citizen active in the art market, who – according to the authors – had ties to financial institutions controlled by the Kremlin.
According to “Gazeta Polska,” the Russian citizen owns shares in a hotel company whose vice president is Małgorzata Czarzasty, and the Sejm marshal and his wife are also said to be shareholders of the majority shareholder of this company. Additionally, Włodzimierz Czarzasty had previously served on the board of one of the companies described in the publication as “suspicious.”