2023-08-30 20:29:06
The populist nationalists in power in Poland gave the green light on Wednesday August 30 to the launch of the work of a controversial commission on Russian influences, criticized by Washington and Brussels and suspected of targeting the opposition, a month and a half before the legislative elections. .
The parliamentary majority elected the nine members of the commission while the entire opposition refused to present its candidates and participate in the vote, qualifying the new entity as“illegal” et “unconstitutional”.
No details have been given as to the date on which this commission could begin its work.
The law on this commission was signed into law by Polish President Andrzej Duda in early August.
The text provides that the commission could determine whether a person “acts under Russian influence” and that she “does not guarantee the proper exercise of activities in the public interest”.
Bill criticized
An appeal of the commission’s decision will be possible before a court of appeal.
Throughout the legislative process the bill has been criticized both in Poland and abroad.
On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the European Commission recalled that in July Commissioner Didier Reynders sent a letter to the Polish authorities calling on them to “not to take such measures in the context of elections” and indicating that Brussels “would not hesitate to take the next step in the infringement procedure” if the commission on Russian influences “had to act in the context of the upcoming elections”.
After a first version of the law was passed in late May, the US State Department expressed concern that it “could be misused to interfere with free and fair elections in Poland” scheduled for October 15.
The opposition described the offending text as « lex Tusk » (Tusk law), named after the head of the Civic Platform, Donald Tusk, former Polish Prime Minister in the years 2007-2014 then President of the European Council, pet peeve of the power in place.
#green #light #controversial #commission #Russian #influences