Przydacz: The President did not refuse to nominate officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Internal Security Agency. That's not true

It is not true that the president refused to nominate officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Internal Security Agency, said Marcin Przydacz, head of the Presidential Office of International Policy, on Saturday. He added that the issue of nomination was to be discussed at a meeting with the service chiefs, which did not take place.

During a conversation with RMF FM, the head of the Presidential Office of International Policy, Marcin Przydacz, was asked about the refusal to nominate 136 future officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Internal Security Agency to the first officer rank. On Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a recording on the X website in which he accused the president of blocking these nominations. As he assessed, this is “a continuation of the president's war against the Polish government.”

– This is not true, the president did not refuse the nomination. There was no set date for the nomination, there is a discussion about when and in what form and what the nominations were to be, this was supposed to be the subject of talks with the service chiefs, but they did not come to the meeting. They did not inform that they would not come, and then it turned out that the Prime Minister banned them, said Przydacz.

He assessed that the meeting “did not take place contrary to the provisions of the law.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has decided that the heads of the secret services are prohibited from meeting with the president – said President Karol Nawrocki in response to the prime minister's accusations of blocking officer nominations in the services. As he said, his meetings with the service chiefs on this matter were canceled.

Tusk: the president in Poland is not responsible for summoning state officials subordinate to the government

The president in Poland is not responsible for summoning state officials subordinate to the government, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk when asked about President Karol Nawrocki's accusation of banning meetings between the heads of the secret services and the head of state. – There are formats provided for by the constitution and laws, such as the National Security Council – he added.

On Friday, Prime Minister Tusk posted a recording on the X website in which he accused the president of blocking the nominations for the first officer rank of 136 future officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Internal Security Agency. As he assessed, this is “a continuation of the president's war against the Polish government.”

President Nawrocki commented on the matter – also in the recording on X. – To be prime minister, it is not enough to post on X; you still need to be able to govern and put the state above party interests. In his style, the Prime Minister lied and did not explain what really happened, Nawrocki accused Tusk.

The president said that “Donald Tusk has decided that the heads of the secret services are banned from meeting the President of the Republic of Poland.” – The president's representative was refused to provide important information regarding state security during the meeting of the College for Secret Services. My 4 meetings with the heads of the services were canceled – they were supposed to discuss key issues for Poland's security; decisions regarding officer nominations were also to be made, Nawrocki noted.

Tusk reacted to these allegations from the president on Friday evening in a conversation with journalists in the Sejm. – I would prefer that he did not deviate from the truth and that he knew the constitution, his competences, the competences of the prime minister and the government – maybe he will learn it in the future – he said. – The president's reaction is neither true nor justified, said the head of government.

– There are formats provided for by the constitution and laws when the president meets with ministers – he has such options as the National Security Council, the Cabinet Council, and the president's representative participates in each College for secret services. There is no reason, and I will never allow constitutional principles to be violated or even violated. The president in Poland is not responsible for calling ministers or state officials who are subordinate to the government, said the head of government.

As he said, “he doesn't prohibit anyone from doing anything.” – The heads of services, ministers and deputy ministers will meet with the president if the president asks me to provide information on the matter and what it is about – said the prime minister.

Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister Coordinator of Special Services, emphasized on Friday on Platform X that it is not true that the Special Services do not provide information to the President of the Republic of Poland. Siemoniak also pointed out that the regulations do not provide for individual briefings between the president and the head of the service. He emphasized that one of their superiors is the Prime Minister.

Siemoniak also wrote that “the president's blocking of promotions to the first officer rank has nothing to do with the president's false objections and is revenge on officers whose well-deserved promotions have nothing to do with the cooperation of the government and the president.” “A big mistake and a great shame,” Siemoniak wrote.

Just before midnight, Siemoniak added on “I am asking all PiS politicians concerned about the issue of relations between the president and the special services to provide at least one example of an individual meeting between the president and the head of the special service between December 2023 and July 2025,” wrote Siemoniak.

The minister also emphasized that Duda never considered refusing to sign the nomination for the first officer rank, even if government-president relations were difficult. “There are matters that simply cannot be played with (…). Causing a sudden crisis around bringing in the heads of the secret services subordinated to the prime minister for individual talks with the president (no one 'dismissed' them because they were never agreed upon) and blocking promotions to the first officer rank absolutely does not serve the state,” he added.

In Poland, the first officer rank is awarded by the president at the request of the minister of national defense or, in the case of services subordinate to him, the minister of interior affairs and administration. Traditionally, the conferral of officer ranks – including generals – in the army and other services takes place on the occasion of the most important national holidays, such as National Independence Day on November 11. (PAP)

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