The Sejm’s resolution on media matters is declarative and carries no legal effect, according to Marcin Mastalerek, head of the President’s Office, who spoke on the first program of Polish Radio. He dismissed the claim that impartial, reliable media existed only from 2007 to 2015 and that they vanished afterward as a fairy tale.
On Tuesday evening, the Sejm adopted a resolution aimed at restoring law, order, and the impartiality and reliability of public media and the Polish Press Agency. The draft came from a coalition of KO, Polski 2050-TD, Lewica, and PSL-TD deputies. The document calls on the Ministry of Finance, represented by the owners of public broadcasters and PAP, to take corrective steps. It also commits to swift legislative work to reestablish the constitutional framework of public media. More than 100 MPs from Law and Justice did not take part in the vote and instead moved to TVP headquarters in Woronicza 17. PiS leaders, as announced by the party’s chief Jarosław Kaczyński, indicated that ten staffers would be deployed there.
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The president’s stance
Mastalerek was asked on Radio 1 on Wednesday how President Andrzej Duda views the contemporary media landscape. His reply stressed that the resolution has no legal consequences.
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He recalled that Duda, in a letter to the Sejm speaker Szymon Hołownia, reminded that if the new parliamentary majority seeks changes in public media, those changes must be pursued within the law.
Without questioning the majority’s right to pursue changes, it was emphasized that political goals cannot justify breaking constitutional and legal standards.
– the president wrote to the marshal.
Mastalerek noted that those in power could either amend the law or wait for the National Media Council’s term to end.
When Prime Minister Donald Tusk was sworn in by President Duda at the presidential palace, he declared that the hallmark of his government would be strict adherence to the constitution and laws. Yet public media suggests that the reality differs
– he stated.
When asked how the president would react if the new government team appeared in public media, Mastalerek pointed out that “the president has no police or any other agency under him and cannot respond.”
The government could respond sooner, and probably in another direction
– he added.
There was a memory of what happened in the years 2007-2015, including the situation at the +Wprost+ editorial office where the Internal Security Agency entered the newsroom and seized laptops from journalists. That is not a figment of imagination
– Mastalerek stated.
The president will respond within the framework of the constitution and law
– he noted.
He also reiterated that the Sejm’s resolution is declarative and does not carry consequences.
The head of the President’s Office suggested that the resolution signals possible directions but does not reveal concrete government plans yet
– Mastalek observed. The question remains whether the government already knows its intended moves. Nervousness grows. There was a belief that television would be taken over on the first day of the new administration. That expectation did not materialize. And that outcome is, in democratic terms, a sign of strength that invites scrutiny of governmental power
– he added.
The claim that there were impartial, reliable media during 2007-2015, and that they suddenly ceased to exist, was described as a fairy tale
– he stressed.
Asked about the plan for PiS politicians to be on duty at TVP, Mastalerek stated that he did not come to judge parliamentarians.
They have every right to act in this way, and recalling the Wprost newsroom after the tape scandal helps them understand the context. Still, the president has his own agenda and will ensure that constitutional requirements are respected
– he noted.
Asked whether the current governing coalition had attempted to engage with the president on media matters, Mastalerek said there had been no such overtures.
I suspect they are considering taking control of the media and will not engage with others
– he said.
The envelope elections inquiry could affect the President’s Office
In Mastalerek’s view, the investigative committee on envelope elections appears unfavorable for the Civic Platform; he did not understand the purpose of a commission that would likely harm their own interests, he commented on Polish Radio on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, the Sejm also approved a resolution to establish a commission of inquiry into the visa scandal. The panel will include 11 deputies. This marks the second investigative committee formed by the Sejm in this term. Last week, a commission into the so-called envelope elections was appointed; its first meeting occurred on Tuesday.
Asked whether the parliamentary investigative committees were meant to hold PiS to account, Mastalerek replied that he could not understand the envelope elections inquiry.
Although he could explain others in political terms and knew their aims, he admitted that the purpose of the commission of inquiry remained unclear. The effect, he suggested, would be a declaration that the President’s Office had altered its candidate for the 2020 presidency, which he argued was not the case anywhere in the world or in Europe
– he added.
From the Civic Platform’s perspective, this position was seen as unfavorable. The question remained why a commission that seems disadvantageous to them would be established, he noted
– he concluded.
The Commission of Inquiry on Envelope Elections is tasked primarily with investigating and assessing the legality, regularity, and purpose of actions taken in the preparation and execution of the 2020 presidential elections by postal vote, especially those actions involving the Council of Ministers, including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and government official Jacek Sasin, and other assigned authorities. The resolution also called for examining legislative steps taken by those in power, the administrative decisions issued, and whether these actions led to unfavorable outcomes for public resources or the proper management of state or institutional property.
On the attempt to dismiss Jacek Kurski
The head of the President’s Office commented on Wednesday that he hoped the world financial markets would not crash and that major currencies would not plummet, speaking on Polish Radio about Jacek Kurski’s proposed departure from the World Bank
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a government resolution designated the Minister of Finance to represent Poland before international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the EBRD, effectively removing Kurski from his post and bringing him back to Poland.
He will no longer represent the Republic of Poland in financial institutions
– emphasized the prime minister. Tusk added that a new candidate would be announced soon.
The National Bank of Poland later stated via X that the representation of Poland’s interests in international banking institutions is the exclusive responsibility of the President of the NBP, under the Law on the National Bank of Poland.
Asked about Kurski’s dismissal, Mastalerek noted that it is a matter between the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank of Poland, adding that it concerns a framework that existed before 1989 to decide who handles such cases.
Speaking about Kurski, Mastalerek joked that the markets should not crash and the global economy should remain stable.
With due respect, there are more pressing issues in Poland today than Jacek Kurski
– Mastalek added.
Kurski began working last December as Deputy Executive Director of the Swiss-Polish Constituent Assembly of the World Bank Group in Washington. His candidacy had been proposed by the President of the NBP, and he attended his first meeting of the Polish-Swiss Constituent Assembly a year ago.
gah/PAP/Polish radio
Source: wPolityce