The tally of parliamentary committees will align with the distribution of parliamentary seats, says Dariusz Wieczorek, secretary of the left-wing club and a member of the negotiating team for the committee talks, in an interview with PAP. He adds that the chairmanship of the most influential committees will shape the current Sejm majority. Marek Suski, deputy head of the PiS club, notes in the same interview that other parties have yet to engage his party about the commission’s mission. “We have 12 committees, but so far nothing has moved on this matter,” he acknowledged.
Negotiations on parliamentary committees. We don’t want to be seen as PiS
The process to appoint parliamentary committees for the Sejm’s tenth term has begun. In the previous term there were 29 committees, but this figure could change this time.
Negotiations are ongoing among the clubs for committee assignments. Participants include representatives from the Civic Coalition, PSL, Poland 2050 and the Left. A representative from Law and Justice, Marek Suski, is expected to join the talks on Monday.
“We aim to identify specific candidates from each club for the committees by the weekend. As for the distribution of chairmen, a joint meeting of all clubs is planned for Monday,” stated Dariusz Wieczorek, who speaks for the Left in these discussions.
Wieczorek added that the distribution remains sufficient to allocate seats in the Sejm. He noted that changes will occur because PiS did not adhere to this rule in the previous government and controlled more committee chairs than the seat allocation would suggest.
He stressed that PiS will have representatives in all committee presidencies. “We do not want to mirror PiS. We want every committee to have chairs and representatives,” he asserted.
Wieczorek further explained that the current situation is unusual because the largest club has never served in opposition before. These arrangements used to be simpler. Now it is clear that the coalition should secure its own chairs in most committees, given its majority in the Sejm, he added. Sources from PiS indicate the formation is expected to hold twelve chair positions.
Suski: From parity we have twelve committees
The deputy head of the PiS club, Marek Suski, reiterates that other parties have not yet engaged his party about the committee mission. “We have twelve committees, but nothing has happened in this regard so far,” he admitted.
Key committees for the new majority
After a fresh round of discussions, the negotiating groups identified the committees each club sees as pivotal. Wieczorek cited health, finance, justice, economy, and climate and environmental protection as among the priority panels for the coalition. These committees are expected to feature chairs from the majority, though several committees hold broad importance for all three parties. The next step is to determine which ones are deemed most critical.
Ultimately, everything relies on reaching an agreement within the presidency regarding the new committee structure. At present, conversations are focused on the compositions and committees that existed in the ninth term of the Sejm.
“The political math will become clear on Monday,” Wieczorek observed. PSL chairman Krzysztof Paszyk noted that the talks have been conducted in a constructive atmosphere. There is interest from multiple clubs in various committees, but the negotiations remain discreet. The consequences will be announced on Monday, he said.
When asked about the absence of a PiS representative at the talks, Paszyk recalled that eight years ago PiS did not invite others to participate in committee negotiations, and that four years ago no one from his club had asked to join discussions.
Candidates for specific committees
Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Monika Wielichowska told PAP that all parliamentary clubs must present their candidate MPs for individual committees by 16 on Friday. The Sejm, after seeking the advice of the Council of Seniors and following the Presidium, will adopt a resolution to determine the specific committee compositions.
Wielichowska added that each committee will include MPs from every parliamentary club or group, and that the size of a club will influence the number of seats and parity on each panel.
During the prior term, there were 29 standing committees and one extraordinary committee. The standing committees ranged from Administration and Home Affairs to Health, including bodies like Public Finance, National Defense, Environmental protection, and Judicial rights, among others. These details illustrate the broad scope of the Sejm’s work and the diverse interests of the participating clubs.
Source: wPolityce