Polish President Nawrocki vetoes judicial reform

President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a law that would have changed the way members of the National Council of the Judiciary are selected, and thus the appointment of judges in Poland.

The reform was one of the main points of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government program, which, after taking office in 2023, promised a return to the standards required by the European Union. According to critics, previous amendments pushed through by the Law and Justice (PiS) party politicized the judiciary and weakened its independence.

Nawrocki, supported by PiS, argues that the new law would divide judges into "better and worse" and hand the judiciary over to political groups. The government, on the other hand, accuses him of exacerbating the chaos that, according to it, arose during the PiS era.

The dispute is likely to prolong the long-standing stalemate between the presidential palace and the cabinet.

(reuters, pir)