Ana Alonso

Marco Rubio on Poland: I want to recognize Poland. Poland is a country that is making great strides economically and in security. They put their national interests and citizens first.

The statement comes after a confrontation outside the Constitutional Tribunal building on Friday night, broadcast live on television, that has pushed a decade-old dispute into the wider European political debate. ➡️ l.euronews.com/8x2k

🇵🇱 Worth mentioning: On 10 October 2026, the Venice Commission adopted an opinion on the powers of the Polish President regarding the swearing-in of Constitutional Tribunal judges and other judicial appointments. The Venice Commission (officially the European Commission for Democracy through Law) is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in constitutional law. Established in 1990 following the fall of the Berlin Wall, it assists countries in strengthening democratic institutions, constitutional safeguards and the rule of law. What did the Commission say about Poland? In its opinion (CDL-AD(2026)031), the Commission concluded that the Polish Constitution grants the Sejm the authority to elect Constitutional Tribunal judges, while the President has no constitutional power to approve, reject or veto those elected judges. The Commission emphasised several key points: ▪️ The President must receive the judges’ oaths without undue delay. The oath is primarily ceremonial and cannot be used to review the legality of the Sejm’s election or question the qualifications of judges. ▪️ The President cannot indefinitely block judges from taking office. The Commission acknowledged that postponement may be justified only in exceptional, objective and unambiguous circumstances, and only for the time strictly necessary. It cannot result in the paralysis of the Constitutional Tribunal. ▪️ An alternative oath-taking procedure is constitutionally justified. Where the President unjustifiably refuses to administer the oath, the Commission considers it permissible for judges to assume office without his physical participation, provided the oath is properly completed, verified, addressed and formally transmitted to the President. ▪️ Judges should be able to begin performing their duties. Once the oath has been validly completed through this alternative procedure, judges should be allowed to assume judicial functions and have cases assigned to them. ▪️ Disputes over elections must be resolved through proper legal procedures. The President cannot unilaterally decide the legality of the Sejm’s election or use such doubts to obstruct the process. ▪️ The Commission also addressed appointments to other courts. Unlike Constitutional Tribunal judges, ordinary judges are appointed by the President under Article 179 of the Constitution. However, the Commission called for safeguards against arbitrary refusals, including effective access to judicial review. The Commission’s central conclusion: The President’s role in receiving the oath cannot be interpreted in a way that undermines the Sejm’s constitutional power to elect judges or obstructs the functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal.

Przedwczoraj Kaczyński nawoływał do wyjścia z Unii. Wczoraj ściskał się z Braunem. Co następne, hołd przed Putinem?

The stand off around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal is about restoring rule of law to an institution which had been politicised by the populist government which lost power in the election of 2023. Its president repeatedly broke the law by steering politically sensitive cases to hand-picked judges. It failed to pass its own budget,