Nawrocki blocked two bills aimed at overhauling Poland’s judicial appointment system, rejecting government efforts to resolve the standoff over the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS).
He said on Thursday he would submit his own legislative proposal "to strengthen the rule of law and the right to a fair trial."
The lower house passed the bills on January 23, and the upper house approved them without changes on January 28.
The legislation would have allowed candidates with at least 10 years of judicial experience and five years at their current court to run, a provision that could have opened the door to some judges promoted after 2017.
The opposition Law and Justice party (PiS) criticised the proposal, while the government said it would make the KRS consistent with the constitution.
The veto halts a government-backed plan that would have changed how 15 judge-members of the KRS are selected.
Under the blocked law, they would have been chosen in direct, secret elections organised by the National Electoral Commission (PKW), with all judges in Poland eligible to vote.
Under the current rules, the 15 member judges are selected by the lower house of parliament, the Sejm.
The president said the amendments could lead to widespread challenges to judges’ status and the reopening of rulings, creating uncertainty for “millions of cases.”
He compared a court judgment to “a granite pillar,” saying citizens should not have to wonder whether a civil, inheritance, or criminal case could be questioned because politicians decide who may rule.
Nawrocki objected to involving the PKW in organising KRS elections, saying it would drag the electoral commission into the judicial conflict and "politicise another state institution."
'We have a plan B': justice minister
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, who supported the changes, said the veto would worsen delays and disorder in the courts.
“I will not back down from restoring constitutional bodies to citizens,” Żurek told Polish state news agency PAP.
“We have a plan B and we will carry it out,” he added, arguing that responsibility for lengthy court proceedings would now fall on the president.
The KRS is a constitutional body involved in judicial appointments and the functioning of the courts.
Its composition and the process for selecting members have been at the centre of political conflict for years, particularly since reforms introduced by the PiS government in 2017 changed the way member judges are chosen.
Presidential bill
Nawrocki said he will present his own bill which, he said, would rest on three principles: impartial courts, rulings that cannot be undermined, and confirmation of the status of properly appointed judges.
He also warned that if his proposals for dialogue are rejected, he will seek a referendum on “restoring normality” in the courts.
“Let the citizens decide, their voice is always the most important,” he said.
The current KRS term ends in May, and the process to nominate candidates under existing rules is already under way.
It began on February 11 with an announcement by the lower-house Speaker in the Monitor Polski official gazette and runs until March 13.
A parliamentary committee compiles the final list of 15 candidates, who are then elected by the lower house with a three-fifths majority for a four-year term.
On Monday, the heads of 10 of Poland’s 11 appellate courts said they were ready to help organise a broad vote among judges as part of selecting KRS members, proposing that the Sejm choose 15 judges from candidates with the strongest support in a general ballot held at judges’ assemblies.
The KRS leadership criticised the idea, saying the selection procedure is fully regulated by statute and that any "extra-legal method" would breach the principle that public authorities must act on a legal basis.
It warned that a public official taking part in an extra-statutory selection process could be exceeding their powers and harming the public interest, which it said could amount to a criminal offence, and urged the appellate court presidents to withdraw the initiative.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP