Editor's Note: Presidential poker
The President of the Republic of Poland refused to appear in front of the investigative commission looking into the Orlen case. He refused because, as he stated at a frantically called press conference in the Presidential Palace, he does not want to participate in the political fracas. At the same time he described the Sejm Special Commission as "demoralized".
Now we are in trouble-the Sejm has no idea what to do in order to summon the head of state before its commission. It is powerless. The Constitution does not say anything that could be binding, and the constitutionalists do not agree on whether such a power exists that could force the President to testify in front of the commission.
Meanwhile, the President put the issue sharply and clearly. "I am not going to testify before the commission before the end of my term," he says. And I agree with him. I am glad that the President of Poland did not take part directly in the political row.
Unfortunately, I regret to admit that the actions of the present commission are not helpful in finding the explanation for the so-called Orlen affair. New people are coming and going in front of the commission, some of them suspicious, shady characters. Neither they, nor their testimonies are reliable. Being a citizen of this country I do not want the President, without being presented with any reliable accusations, to be seated at the same table as them. I do not want the allegations against the President to be based on information that appears to have been simply conjured out of thin air.
Finally, I do not want the commission members investigating the Orlen case, people who, due to their political rowdiness, do not deserve my trust and respect, to be humiliating the highest office in this country before the eyes of millions of citizens (in audience ratings the report on interrogating the President would certainly beat several top reality shows).
In turn, I do want the Orlen case to be clarified in some way and the President to somehow answer the questions that have been asked of him over the past few months.
This is why I hope that when he is invited to testify in front of an institution much more respected than this commission, he will accept the invitation.
Eliza Durka
Editor-in-Chief
Now we are in trouble-the Sejm has no idea what to do in order to summon the head of state before its commission. It is powerless. The Constitution does not say anything that could be binding, and the constitutionalists do not agree on whether such a power exists that could force the President to testify in front of the commission.
Meanwhile, the President put the issue sharply and clearly. "I am not going to testify before the commission before the end of my term," he says. And I agree with him. I am glad that the President of Poland did not take part directly in the political row.
Unfortunately, I regret to admit that the actions of the present commission are not helpful in finding the explanation for the so-called Orlen affair. New people are coming and going in front of the commission, some of them suspicious, shady characters. Neither they, nor their testimonies are reliable. Being a citizen of this country I do not want the President, without being presented with any reliable accusations, to be seated at the same table as them. I do not want the allegations against the President to be based on information that appears to have been simply conjured out of thin air.
Finally, I do not want the commission members investigating the Orlen case, people who, due to their political rowdiness, do not deserve my trust and respect, to be humiliating the highest office in this country before the eyes of millions of citizens (in audience ratings the report on interrogating the President would certainly beat several top reality shows).
In turn, I do want the Orlen case to be clarified in some way and the President to somehow answer the questions that have been asked of him over the past few months.
This is why I hope that when he is invited to testify in front of an institution much more respected than this commission, he will accept the invitation.
Eliza Durka
Editor-in-Chief
