Romanowski in Hungary: A Politically Charged Move and Its Implications

Polish MP Marcin Romanowski spoke to a Hungarian portal to explain why he departed Poland. He framed the decision as driven by political circumstances rather than a flight from justice. According to the Hungarian outlet, actions against politicians from Donald Tusk’s party have been paused while new investigations are opened against opposition figures, including Romanowski, whom he says are accused of orchestrating a political witch hunt. The report from the Hungarian side attributes these remarks to him in the interview.

The Hungarian portal also noted that Romanowski’s arrival in Hungary and Budapest’s decision to grant him asylum strained the already tense relationship between Tusk’s liberal government in Poland and Viktor Orbán’s conservative leadership in Hungary.

No hope for a fair trial

In the interview, Romanowski argued that his move to Hungary, though politically charged, should not be read as an escape. He stressed that he does not flee from justice; rather, he defends himself and others against what he perceives as injustice. He described more than a year of what he calls lawlessness in Poland, pointing to investigations into power abuses and what he labeled a creeping coup, as depicted in statements attributed to the president of the Constitutional Tribunal. The alleged perpetrators, he claimed, include the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, and numerous high-ranking officials.

He laid out his position plainly, outlining his view of the political landscape and the alleged abuses he associates with it. The PiS member explained his accusations against Donald Tusk’s government and described the scope of what he sees as abuses in Poland. He cited ignored rulings by the Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Court, along with cases involving Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik.

Romanowski argued that a fair trial in Poland could not be counted on, describing himself as a person persecuted by Tusk’s state apparatus. He asserted that investigations targeting politicians from the Tusk party are paused while new inquiries are opened against opposition figures, including himself, whom he says are being swept into a political witch hunt.

These remarks came through the interview with the Hungarian portal and reflect his broader stance on what he sees as political persecution in Poland.

Neo-PK feases

He also explained the Polish public prosecutor’s allegations against him, stating that none involve corruption or embezzlement for personal gain. He noted that one of the nineteen accusations concerns the supposed signing of contracts that moved money to non-governmental organizations for a month, because the Minister of Justice altered a regulation instead of publishing a new one. A report in wPolityce is cited for that detail.

He argued that the claim about the illegal termination of contracts with NGOs—many of which have a conservative or Christian profile—was absurd and something any law student would recognize. He insisted that the real issue lies with the minister and not with him, describing the situation as a political weapon used against opponents.

He added that the remaining allegations relate to alleged influence on competition committees, though those bodies do not make binding decisions under Polish law. The PiS parliamentarian emphasized that he faced illegal detention and called for prosecutors to be recused from the case.

The interviewer asked why Hungary was chosen as the destination for the journey, and Romanowski suggested that Budapest’s unique political stance mattered. He argued that Hungary sends a strong signal to Brussels about a systemic problem with the rule of law in Poland. Hungary, in his view, is seen as the last bastion of sovereignty in Europe, and he believes Poland’s standing declined in 2023. He urged shared action to restore sovereignty in the region.

Tense friendship with Hungary

In the same interview, Romanowski touched on international topics, especially changes at the top in the United States, which he greeted with enthusiasm. He believed the moment favored conservatives in Europe and that a Republican President, Donald Trump, would be a better ally than Joe Biden.

The PiS MP also faced questions about whether the party’s positions, and Budapest’s stance, toward the United States influenced electoral outcomes. He argued that the biggest mistake was the approach to EU policy on climate and the rule of law. His faction has long argued for a sterner, more critical stance, insisting that judicial reform must proceed despite Brussels’ opposition. He noted that the momentum seen in 2015-2016 was lost, calling that a real problem.

Another serious misstep, in his view, was Hungary’s initial distance at the outset of the war in Ukraine. The Polish-Hungarian alliance’s leadership then asked whether Poland would ever revise its stance toward Russia, stressing that the Polish-Hungarian relationship is a key element in the broader balance between Russian nationalism and American liberalism.

Romanowski argued that the Polish-Hungarian Alliance is crucial for Central Europe and that Polish-Hungarian cooperation cannot suffer. He stressed the need for unity in regional politics and cooperation among like-minded governments to maintain stability and sovereignty in Europe.

Predictions for the future

The politician noted that the Civic Coalition is likely to lose support, driven by rising living costs and the heavy influence of infrastructure projects and media. Much depends on the outcome of Poland’s presidential elections; if a conservative candidate wins, he predicted, the Tusk-led system could be dismantled and more entrenched rule-of-law concerns could become harder to resolve.

He said that he would return to Poland once the rule of law is restored, adding that he is studying Hungarian intensively. He hopes to have at least a basic grasp of the Magyar language by the time he returns to the Vistula region. He joked about mispronouncing words while ordering a beer, noting that the S and SZ sounds are different in Hungarian. He added that he is learning and can already say the word for sovereignty in Hungarian, szuverenitás.