Constitution's fifth anniversary celebrated amid admissions of its imperfection

During a conference marking the fifth anniversary of the Constitution's acceptance, President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that the Act was not perfect, but that the time was not right to introduce amendments to it. Members of Parliament and the Government, representatives of courts, voivodships and local governments took part in the ceremony. "Acceptance of the Constitution in 1997 was one of the most important moments in Polish history, since we started on the road of transformation. It was born of fierce debate, but is now widely accepted by all political powers," said the President during a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Warsaw. He praised the Act's inclusion of the rights of citizens, clarification of relations between the President, the Cabinet and parliament and other rules which, among other things, guarantee the sovereignty of the Monetary Policy Council. However, he admitted that the charters on social obligations of the state cause dissatisfaction as they are not met in reality. "We should obey the rules of our Constitution as a great national treasure and as an Act which should stand before EU regulations," added Kwasniewski. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 8) M.M.