Poland’s top historians and political figures have joined growing calls for the removal of Karol Nawrocki, the embattled president of the Institute of National Remembrance and the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS)-backed presidential candidate, after Onet.pl reported allegations linking him to the procurement of sex workers for guests at the Grand Hotel in Sopot, where he once worked as a security guard.
The revelations have sparked a political and institutional storm, with critics pointing to Article 11 of the 1998 Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, which states that the IPN president must “distinguish themselves by high moral standards and knowledge useful in the Institute’s work.”
“If these issues had been properly vetted, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” historian and political scientist Professor Antoni Dudek told Onet.pl. “It’s a failure of the Polish state that Nawrocki could ever have been considered for the position.”
'Pimping is not my definition of high moral standards,' says Polish FM about IPN head Nawrocki
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski was even more direct.
“Pimping is not my definition of high moral standards,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that Nawrocki’s failure to file an immediate election-related lawsuit - rather than a protracted civil case - against Onet.pl would amount to an implicit confirmation of the allegations.
The head of Polish diplomacy also publicly questioned Nawrocki’s foreign alignment after he received backing from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“Will you pursue the same policy toward Putin and the EU?” the minister asked pointedly.
Nawrocki, who has yet to respond publicly to the accusations, now faces intense pressure from Poland’s academic and political establishment to resign or be removed.
Despite having the option to pursue a swift, one-day electoral court procedure to address the allegations, Nawrocki chose instead for a lengthy civil lawsuit, extending the controversy and fueling further doubts about his suitability for the role.
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Source: X/@OnetWiadomosci/@sikorskiradek