Split in Law and Justice and Key Decisions Regarding the Supreme Court

The last few hours have brought a sharp escalation of conflicts within the largest opposition party. Jarosław Kaczyński, serving as the president of Law and Justice, decided to refer MEP Patryk Jaki to the party's ethics committee. This is a direct reaction to the public statements of the Sovereign Poland politician, which attacked the party leadership and its previous political strategy. Earlier, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki faced a similar fate, which analysts interpret as an attempt to discipline factions fighting for future influence and succession after Kaczyński. The PiS ethics committee is thus becoming a crisis management tool in the face of growing leadership disputes. At the same time, significant personnel shifts have occurred in the justice system. The General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges has selected five candidates, from among whom the president will choose the new First President of the Supreme Court. This process is causing emotions due to the unresolved dispute over the status of so-called neo-judges. Additionally, the judicial association Iustitia presented its own list of candidates for the new National Council of the Judiciary, which is intended as an attempt to break the legal deadlock. Public debate focuses on the question of whether the full composition of the Supreme Court is capable of legalizing the status of judges appointed after the 2018 reforms, which could end years of legal chaos. The dispute over the shape of the Polish judiciary and the filling of key positions has been ongoing since 2015, leading to numerous conflicts with European Union institutions and a division within the legal community between judges appointed before and after the reform of the National Council of the Judiciary.The socio-economic situation remains equally tense. Piotr Duda, chairman of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union "Solidarity", expressed sharp outrage at the absence of government representatives at a meeting of the Social Dialogue Council, calling it the end of a real agreement between the parties. Against this backdrop, the Sejm rejected a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Agriculture, despite ongoing farmers' protests, including in Krąpiel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is additionally grappling with the problem of Polish citizens stranded at airports in the Middle East due to escalating regional tensions, which prompted Minister Radosław Sikorski to remind people of the government's earlier warnings against travel to threatened regions. „To jest walka o jedność prawicy, nie pozwolimy na rozbijanie obozu od środka.” (This is a fight for the unity of the right, we will not allow the camp to be torn apart from within.) — Jarosław Kaczyński