New government and President fail to see eye to eye

In light of recent announcements by ministers of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government, President Lech Kaczyński is planning to seek council from the Constitutional Tribunal regarding the rights of the President and the government. The President was especially surprised by statements made by the Defense and Foreign Ministers relating to the withdrawal of Polish troops from Iraq in 2008, and the plan to turn the army into a professional organization in 2009, rather than relying on national service laws. In both cases these announcements were made without consultation with the President, and neither Radosław Sikorski nor Bogdan Klich met with Kaczyński to discuss their plans. "They should have done so. There is a constitutional obligation and they are not exchanging any courtesy," said Law and Justice (PiS) secretary general Joachim Brudziński. Deputy Sejm Speaker Stefan Niesiołowski, however, claims that "The constitution clearly states that foreign policies and defense policies are run by the government." (Rzeczpospolita, p. A10) A.K.