The US ramped up its criticism of a new law that allows Poland’s ruling party to probe opposition Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk, saying the legislation could be misused to interfere with a tightly contested election this year.
Hours after Polish President Andrzej Duda approved the creation of a special parliamentary panel to investigate Russia’s meddling in Poland between 2007 and last year, US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington shares the concerns “expressed by many observers” that the panel “could be used to block the candidacy of opposition politicians without due process.”
The law threatens to damage Warsaw’s relations with the US at a time when Poland has become the main gateway for aid and arms sent to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began last year. The US has deployed 10,000 troops into Poland, an eastern NATO member state that US President Joe Biden visited twice in less than a year.
Photo: AP
The government in Warsaw has also sought to forge close economic ties with the US, including a deal to build the country’s first nuclear power plant and numerous orders for military equipment.
The new legislation grants the investigating committee unprecedented powers, including the ability to effectively prevent officials from pursuing public office, bypassing the regular court system.
Critics say the panel aims to discredit and potentially bar key opposition politicians from taking part in October’s elections.
“We call on the government of Poland to ensure this law does not preempt voters’ ability to vote for candidate of their choice and that it not be invoked or abused in ways that could affect the perceived legitimacy of elections,” Miller said in a statement.
Duda said that the new law is needed to explain the scale of Russia’s influence in Poland, which he described as a fact.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, has for years accused Tusk — his main political rival — of tolerating Russian influence during his tenure as prime minister before 2015.
Parliamentary lawyers have attacked the law as a breach of European Union rules, while the country’s human rights ombudsman said that parts of it contravene the constitution.
Tusk said the law intends to “eliminate” the government’s biggest potential rival and called its backers “cowards.”
Duda said that while he is signing the bill into law, he would also ask the country’s top court to review it, citing doubts some have over its compliance with the constitution.
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