“There are doubts about the status of the Supreme Court’s Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs. But there is no doubt about whom the Polish people have chosen. That is why I will convene the National Assembly on August 6 and administer the presidential oath to Karol Nawrocki,” Hołownia said via his profile on X (formerly Twitter).
The politician, however, clearly pointed out that “every case of irregularities in the electoral commissions must be thoroughly investigated by the prosecutor’s office.”
Supreme Court dismisses thousands of presidential election complaints
Poland’s Supreme Court announced that over 54,000 election complaints were filed challenging the presidential vote, but only 21 were deemed valid and none affected the outcome.
The case was heard by the Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs, a body established under the previous government led by the populist Law and Justice party (PiS).
In delivering the court’s decision, the chamber’s head said that the sheer volume of objections did not increase the significance of the claims.
The chamber’s constitutional legitimacy has been questioned by the current ruling Civic Coalition.
Prosecutor general raises concerns
Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar argued the chamber handling the case should not have ruled on the election’s validity and pledged to formally outline procedural flaws in a letter to Hołownia.
Bodnar questioned whether the process met constitutional standards and said it was up to Hołownia to decide what action, if any, to take in response.
On Wednesday morning, speaking on TVN24, Bodnar said that his ministry had serious doubts about the Supreme Court’s ruling on the validity of the presidential election.
Bodnar added that the concerns stem not only from the fact that the case was decided by the contested chamber, but also from numerous procedural irregularities.
Bar council head criticises justice minister’s conduct
Przemysław Rosati, head of Poland’s National Bar Council, criticised Bodnar’s conduct in comments to public broadcaster Polish Radio.
Rosati said that Bodnar "has failed the test" because "over the past year and a half, very little has happened in the justice system that would matter to ordinary citizens. Above all, there has been a lack of vision.”
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Source: X/IAR/PAP/TVN24/PR24