The rotation of the Speaker of the Sejm is the result of talks and discussions between the leaders of the ruling coalition; The Left did not raise this demand at the beginning – Włodzimierz Czarzasty, co-chairman of the New Left, who has been the Speaker of the Sejm since last week, told PAP.
Polish Press Agency: Last week, the outgoing Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, revealed in an interview with Polsat News that during the talks after the 2023 parliamentary elections, the idea of him serving as Speaker for four years came up. Hołownia emphasized that on this issue “the position of the Left was very clear” and “Chairman Czarzasty cared about it very much.” Why were you so interested in becoming a marshal?
Włodzimierz Czarzasty: It seems to me that it was completely the opposite when it comes to matters related to the negotiations of the leaders of the ruling coalition. I would rather base it on other things and not go into the emotions of who cared more or who cared less. We discussed such a coalition agreement two years ago. The four people who signed this agreement knew – after consulting the formations they represented – what they were doing. There may be many assessments, but the coalition agreement has been implemented.
PAP: The voices that appeared in the media debate about the rotation of the Speaker of the Sejm suggested that you wanted to take up this position.
W.Cz.: This matter emerged as a result of conversations and discussions. At first, the Left did not raise this demand. But really, what I want to give to Polish politics – as I announced in my message – is distance, peace and reason. I care about peace, a well-functioning government and a well-functioning coalition on October 15.
PAP: In your Friday speech, you announced the use of the “Marshal's veto” against harmful legislative projects serving populism and deregulating the rules of functioning of the state. What criteria will you use to assess which project can be called harmful?
W.Cz.: I know the law, the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm and Art. 110 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland on the scope of functioning of the Speaker of the Sejm. The Marshal, of course, does not have the right to veto, the use of this metaphor shows the way of thinking – a veto against populism, absurdity, further division of society. Let's assume that a bill that costs PLN 110 billion per year is submitted to the Sejm and its justification includes the argument: “let the government find the money.” Recently, President Karol Nawrocki was probably thinking about such a project regarding VAT. I would like to inform you that it is impossible to find PLN 110 billion within a week, because it has to be taken from somewhere. So I will ask the president: would you like to take this money away from health care, defense or social benefits? Because these are the ministries that are financed the most.
My “veto” is not an announcement of the so-called freezers. I do not want to repeat the policy of the president, who, for example, says: I will not appoint judges because they smell like Żurek (the head of MS Waldemar). I am 65 years old and I want to use my experience. The institutions that create law and take responsibility for Poland are: the Sejm, the president, the government and the Constitutional Tribunal, which is in the state it is in. These institutions have the right to have their own opinion and take different positions. People who are favorable and reasonable to me will understand it this way, and people who have different views on this matter will say: a freezer that will enslave everyone.
PAP: However, MPs from Poland 2050 criticized your message on social media. Does this mean that one of the coalition groups is composed of people who are unfavorable to you?
W.Cz.: Everyone has the right to their opinion. The MPs of Poland 2050 are favorable to me because, in accordance with the coalition agreement, they voted for my appointment, just as the Left once supported Szymon Hołownia.
PAP: The infamous “freezer” also operates at the level of parliamentary committees. There are situations when a bill has been waiting for its first reading for, for example, a year. Do you have an idea to solve this problem and speed up the work?
W.Cz.: I will present my ideas over time. However, I would like to point out that the previous Speaker of the Sejm also froze the ideas of the Left Club. Two or three projects have been pending for half a year or a year. Therefore, the statement that under Hołownia all projects were immediately pushed into implementation is untrue. I have no grudge against anyone, because this was Szymon's policy, and it will be assessed by the voters of Poland 2050. I received a thick folder of various draft bills that are waiting for a print number to be assigned. I'll be reviewing them on Tuesday or Wednesday. They haven't been waiting in line for two days, so I appeal for common sense and distance. We will find a way out of all these difficult situations.
PAP: Parliamentary projects regarding the right to terminate pregnancy are also waiting for continuation of work. The extraordinary commission appointed to consider these projects has not convened a meeting for over a year. Will you intervene in this matter?
W.Cz.: I announced that the ruling coalition would do everything to reach an agreement on partnerships, and such an agreement was reached. By the end of the year, the government will submit a draft bill on the status of the closest person in a relationship and a cohabitation agreement to the Sejm, according to my conversations with Minister Katarzyna Kotula and Maciej Berek, the minister for supervision over the implementation of government policy. I would like the Sejm to first deal with the issue of civil partnerships and then abortion, so as not to deal with them at the same time. I think that the beginning of next year will be a good time to start a conversation with the head of this committee, Dorota Łoboda (KO).
PAP: Will you try to enter into dialogue with the president regarding the project on the status of a close person?
W.Cz.: I look at contacts with the president with some distance. I don't have an extraordinary need for a meeting, let the offices discuss it among themselves. The president informed the nation that he is currently looking into my activities. I respect the institution of the president, so I will wait until he stops watching, because – as I understand – at some point he will stop watching. If he stops and says what conclusions he has drawn, Minister Marek Siwiec will inform the Sejm Chancellery about the position.
PAP: It's no secret that you have a phobia of flying. At the press conference last week, you indicated that the Presidium of the Sejm includes “a brilliant specialist in foreign affairs, Szymon Hołownia.” What will foreign visits of the Speaker of the Sejm look like?
W.Cz.: It depends on the purposes of the trip. The Marshal of the Sejm issues a regulation on the scope of competences of individual deputy marshals. I haven't talked to Deputy Marshal Hołownia about this yet because I have been the marshal for only a week. If there is a trip that requires the presence of the Speaker of the Sejm and the Polish raison d'état would suffer as a result, I will hide my phobia in my back pocket, get on a plane and fly.
PAP: Why was Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Piotr Zgorzelski (PSL) appointed as the first deputy speaker?
W.Cz.: This is a continuation of Szymon Hołownia's policy, the term of office of the Sejm lasts 4 years. Piotr Zgorzelski is a good politician and a very good deputy. Rotation in the position of Speaker of the Sejm does not mean a revolution. I do not want to destroy the work system of the other four deputy marshals.
PAP: Are media speculations that representatives of parliamentary groups will not be able to participate in the meetings of the Seniors' Convention true?
W.Cz.: I haven't made any decision on this matter. Pursuant to Art. 15 of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm, the Council of Seniors consists of: the Marshal, vice-Marshals and chairmen or vice-chairmen of clubs, circles and agreements of parties that entered the Sejm and had their own lists. The Marshal of the Sejm has the right to also invite representatives of groups or clubs that were established during the term of office of the Sejm. The Sejm meeting will be next week and I will either invite them or not.
PAP: The director of your office, Bartosz Machalica, informed that five solutions are being considered regarding changes in the so-called parliamentary kilometers. What are these solutions?
W.Cz.: I don't know these solutions. As director Machalica said, Szymon Hołownia's secretariat has prepared five solutions. By the end of December, an ordinance regarding mileage will be signed, which will enter into force on January 1, 2026. Representatives of all clubs and groups will be invited to develop this ordinance, and the work will be managed by Marek Siwiec, who was nominated as the head of the Chancellery of the Sejm on Monday. Certainly, nothing will be done against the interests of MPs. I will not speak personally on this matter, because I am the worst material for formulating a story on this matter. – for 6 years I benefited from mileage allowance of PLN 1,000. I am the last person who should be the wisest in this matter, so we will invite those MPs who have more experience in this area.
PAP: Last week, you signed an ordinance banning the sale of alcoholic beverages in buildings and areas managed by the Chancellery of the Sejm, which was widely commented on in the media, not only by the opposition. Have the MPs raised any complaints with you regarding this decision?
W.Cz.: Some were satisfied, others were dissatisfied, the third were neutral about it. I have not consulted this matter with any club or group, including my club. If there has been a wave of discussion in Poland about the ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations, we know what is happening in emergency rooms at night, or we see how the situation is improving in cities where a ban on the sale of alcohol at night has been introduced, it seems to me that MPs should set an example. That's why I signed it.
PAP: The process of expiring judges' terms of office is currently underway in the Constitutional Tribunal, there are currently four vacancies. The Sejm has not chosen any successors so far, what will be the next decisions of the Marshal in this matter?
W.Cz.: Currently, one process related to submitting candidates to the Constitutional Tribunal is coming to an end. If this entire procedure goes through, the Speaker of the Sejm will have to schedule further dates. Before writing them down, I will definitely ask for a coalition meeting.
PAP: We already know the composition of the Chancellery of the Sejm and the name of the director of your office. Who will be the head of the Media Services Office?
W.Cz.: I offered this function to Lech Sołtys. I don't even know his views and I'm not really interested in them. I know him as a reasonable man who does his job well, and I want to work with professionals.
PAP: Elections for the chairman of the New Left will be held on December 14. You announced that the decision on whether to run would be made after the last provincial elections, i.e. after December 6. Do your party colleagues encourage you to run for the position of party chairman?
W.Cz.: Two large voivodeships – Silesia and Masovia – passed resolutions that support my candidacy. I have a lot of peace within me. I think that within two weeks I will know a lot more about what my options will be, including: temporary. I'm looking at how much time my marshal duties will take me and whether I'll be able to handle it. I am a normal person, I make mistakes, and there are 24 hours in a day, for example, I did not vote for Szymon Hołownia's candidacy for Deputy Speaker of the Sejm because it was the first time in my life that I was voting as a Speaker. I found out about my mistake from the media, because due to so much emotion I didn't even notice that I hadn't voted. When things are serious, I don't sleep at night because I don't want to make mistakes, but when I do make them, I apologize. That's why I apologized to Hołownia, whom I respect – he was a great Speaker of the Sejm.
Interview by Agata Andrzejczak (PAP)
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