WARSAW: With war raging in neighboring Ukraine and deep division at home, Poland’s pro-European government has become deadlocked as the country’s nationalist president blocks reforms at an unprecedented scale.
Although he has held office for just four months, President Karol Nawrocki, supported by Poland’s right-wing opposition, has already vetoed 17 laws passed by parliament.
Nawrocki has also refused appointments and promotions for judges, ambassadors and special service agents.
Throughout his short tenure, the head of state has criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition government, positioning himself as the ultimate guardian of national sovereignty.
It is a move that many in the government and opposition have compared to US President Donald Trump, with whom Nawrocki shares ideological similarities.
During the 2023 legislative campaign, Tusk promised to reverse reforms implemented between 2015 and 2023 by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
His pro-European stance contrasts sharply with that of the PiS government, which clashed frequently with Brussels, particularly over the rule of law.
In Poland, the head of state, who serves a five-year term, traditionally plays a primarily representative role, while exerting some influence over foreign and defense policy.
- ‘Double discourse’ -
The lack of understanding on domestic affairs also extends to the foreign policy of the EU and NATO member state.
While Tusk’s government “seeks to strengthen the EU... without seeking to limit relations with the US,” Nawrocki serves as a staunch ally of Trump and his camp, Piotr Buras of the European Council of Foreign Relations think tank told AFP.
This has remained consistent “regardless” of US policy toward Europe, he added.
Opposed to Ukraine joining both the EU and NATO, Nawrocki has yet to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Warsaw’s key role in delivering military and humanitarian aid against Russia’s invasion.
A staunch critic of the EU, the Polish president has accused Brussels of “depriving member states (apart from Germany and France) of their sovereignty, degrading their national democracies.”
He has also called for major reforms of European treaties.
His remarks were criticized by Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who said that Nawrocki’s statements “contradict government policy.”
According to Buras, “this double discourse in Polish foreign policy creates some confusion among (Polish) partners (...) and undoubtedly makes Poland’s policy weaker” than it could have been.
- ‘Legislative sabotage’ -
Nawrocki has used the presidential veto for one in every five pieces of legislation passed by the Polish government, which the latter has described as “legislative sabotage.”
The vetoes range from bills proposing aid extensions for Ukrainian refugees, to green energy bills, regulations of the cryptocurrency market, taxes and the electoral code.
Some vetoes were issued in spite of public support for the laws, notably those on creating a new national park, liberalising the wind energy market, or banning the tethering of dogs.
Some believe, however, that this could have a positive outcome by pushing parties toward compromise, Piotr Trudnowski of the conservative think tank Klub Jagiellonski told AFP.
“From now on, everyone will have to think three times before undertaking new initiatives if they want to be effective,” he says.
