The deputy leader of the PiS parliamentary club, Marek Suski, stated that discussions about how to distribute committee chairmanships were not extended to his party. He accused KO lawmakers of suggesting that such negotiations had already been resolved. Suski argued that PiS should oversee twelve committee chairs, and that a smaller share would signal a shift toward a new model of parliamentary governance.
Marcin Kierwiński, the secretary-general of the Civic Platform, announced that negotiations between the clubs on committee chair allocations had ended.
Everything is settled, and all questions are resolved. Soon, the process will move ahead: assigning twelve chair positions, configuring the committees, and appointing the presidiums in line with the Sejm timetable.
One KO member reflected that this arrangement aligns with expectations given the current plan.
It is reasonable to expect that the governing coalition will hold a majority in the presidencies of most committees.
Heads of committees
The KO club leader, Borys Budka, indicated that PiS could expect leadership in six to seven committees.
In the previous term, PiS chaired eighteen committees, while the Civic Coalition chaired five, as far as can be recalled. The anticipation is that the new term will see PiS receiving more committee leadership than KO did last term.
— noted the MP.
Marek Suski responded to public statements from KO leaders, saying that no formal talks had begun with him and that any claim otherwise was inaccurate. He suggested there may have been informal conversations, but not with his group.
— emphasized the MP.
At the end of the last term, the opposition held ten committee chairs, a fact Budka might consider when reviewing the composition of presidiums, including seats on the European Union committee and other committees with sixty-one seats in presidiums overall.
— Suski stressed. He also noted that KO had six chairmen, while the Left and PSL each had two chairmen.
Suski added that no one from PO had contacted him. When discussions conclude, there are claims that little progress has been made, a pattern he attributed to the opposition.
— added.
When asked how many committee heads PiS would hold, given that twelve chairs do not automatically guarantee parity, the PiS member remarked that as long as the situation remains unchanged, parity may not be respected. He suggested that PiS might end up outside parity, potentially signaling a new form of democratic arrangement.
— added the PiS MP.
Rules of Procedure of the Sejm
Under the Sejm’s Rules of Procedure, committee bodies are established to review and prepare issues within the Sejm’s remit and to express opinions on matters submitted for discussion by the Sejm, the Sejm President, or the Presidium. These committees operate as a parliamentary oversight mechanism within the limits set by the constitution and laws.
In the previous term, there were 29 standing committees and one extraordinary committee. Standing committees included the Administration and Home Affairs Committee; petitions; special services; the European Union; Energy, Climate and State Assets; Education, Science and Youth; Parliamentary Ethics; Public Finance; National Defense; Environmental Protection and Natural Resources and Forestry; Social Policy and Family; Regulations, Issues of Alternates and Immunities; Agriculture and Rural Development; Territorial Self-Government and Regional Policy; Foreign Affairs; Justice and Human Rights; Legislative or Health.
The Sejm, on the Presidium’s recommendation and after consulting the Council of Seniors, determines the composition of each committee by resolution. The first meeting of a committee is convened and chaired by the Sejm President; at that meeting the committee elects its presidency, consisting of a chairman and deputy chairs, from among its members.
READ MORE: Division of parliamentary committees. PiS will join the discussions. Jarosław Kaczyński’s party has twelve chairmen
[Source attribution: wPolityce]