Poland’s president has said he will not rest until two politicians from the opposition nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party – both on hunger strike – are freed from prison, in a further dramatic escalation in the new government’s battle to restore the rule of law.
“I will not rest in the fight for a fair and just Polish state,” the president, Andrzej Duda, who is closely aligned with PiS, declared on Wednesday. “I won’t be scared. I will act legally, in accordance with the constitution and the law – as before.”
Former interior minister Mariusz Kaminski and his ex-deputy Maciej Wąsik, both of whom have been convicted of abuse of power, were sent to jail a day earlier.
After eight years of rule, PiS lost its majority in elections last October and the new government, headed by Donald Tusk, faces an uphill task undoing its predecessor’s policies and evicting its supporters from key posts in the media and justice system.
Not getting it. Why is he intent on freeing them from prison, when it sounds like he’s intent on undoing the damage they did? Is it just summary gore?
Edit: Apparently the president is not the elected head of the govt?
The head of the government is the prime minister, who is of a different party. The president is a PiS guy. The president has a more representative role, similar to the king in countries like UK or Spain.