Polish leader seeks to stop critical debate on top court law
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s president sought on Tuesday to end a bitter political conflict surrounding changes that the ruling populist party is introducing into the nation’s judicial system.
The parliament, dominated by the ruling Law and Justice party, was holding a heated debate over a draft law that would immediately dismiss the current judges of Poland’s highest court, the Supreme Court, and put the justice minister in charge of it.
Facing criticism, the ruling party changed some provisions just before the debate to give a national judicial council power to appoint the court’s judges.
The opposition says the proposed law violates the constitution and judicial independence. The head of the court, Malgorzata Gersdorf, said in parliament that Law and Justice has decided to “destroy the Supreme Court.”