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Polish MPs reject bid to oust justice minister

26.05.2022 21:30
Polish lawmakers have rejected a bid to oust the country’s justice minister amid a protracted row over judicial changes and a long-standing rule-of-law dispute with Brussels.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro speaks in the Sejm, the lower house of Polands parliament, on Thursday.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro speaks in the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament, on Thursday.Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

A total of 231 MPs on Thursday voted to defeat a no-confidence motion put forward against Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro by the opposition.

Meanwhile, 224 deputies supported the motion, and none abstained, state news agency PAP reported.

The motion had little chance of succeeding because the country’s governing conservatives hold a majority in parliament.

The vote came after the opposition accused Ziobro of creating chaos in the Polish judiciary, putting the country on a collision course with the European Union, and being "the worst justice minister in the last 30 years."

Conservative politicians including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki defended Ziobro in parliament, saying he was a good minister and praising his role in efforts by the government "to eliminate injustice" in the Polish judicial system.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addresses lawmakers in Warsaw on Thursday. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addresses lawmakers in Warsaw on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

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Source: IAR, PAP