The decision to deactivate parliamentary cards has raised concerns about representation in the Sejm. A prominent PiS figure, Maciej Wąsik, described the move as the start of an authoritarian state, speaking on Republika TV after the Sejm Chancellery head decided to suspend the parliamentary cards of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik. The wPolityce.pl portal has repeatedly covered the stories involving former ministers.
On Friday, Jacek Cichocki, the head of the Sejm Chancellery, ordered the deactivation of the parliamentary cards belonging to Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik.
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Former ministers plan to attend the next session
Representatives say they will attend the Sejm’s forthcoming session. Wąsik stated this on Republika TV, emphasizing that the issue was not the passes themselves but the ballots associated with the process.
He called the move illegal and noted that it creates a climate of fear reminiscent of an authoritarian regime. The argument centered on the idea that removing seats and restricting voting access would exclude a significant portion of voters from representation in the Sejm.
Wąsik stressed that the current situation marks a worrying trend as Poland, under the leadership associated with Donald Tusk, appears to drift toward more centralized control over the legislative process.
The case centers on the expiry of parliamentary mandates for Kamiński and Wąsik following a conviction in December of this year related to a land deal. The Marshal of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, issued decisions to terminate their mandates, triggering further legal action.
The Supreme Court weighs in on the Mandate Decisions
Earlier this week the Supreme Court, specifically its Chamber of Labor and Social Security, received appeals from Kamiński and Wąsik against the Sejm Speaker’s mandate termination. The court decided to transfer Wąsik’s case to the Chamber for Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs. Later reports indicated that the Extraordinary Control Chamber revoked the Sejm Speaker’s decision to terminate Wąsik’s mandate, and on Friday it was reported that the same chamber revoked the expiry decision for Kamiński.
President Andrzej Duda had previously indicated in a letter that thanks to the 2015 Law of Pardon applied to Kamiński and Wąsik, who were convicted by a lower court, there were no grounds to end their mandates. When asked about possible repeat pardons, Marcin Mastalerek, head of the President’s Office, stated that the law had already been effectively applied and confirmed twice by the Constitutional Court.
These developments point to a constitutional tug of war over immunity, pardons, and the balance between judicial decisions and the powers of the Sejm and its Speaker. The unfolding proceedings have attracted considerable media attention and prompted discussions about the boundaries of parliamentary prerogatives and accountability.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce