As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the election's legality by July 1, judges and former Constitutional Tribunal heads warn that the chamber responsible for reviewing the protests lacks the independence required under Polish and international law - raising doubts over the credibility of the entire process.
Concerns raised over far-right ties in election oversight
According to a report by Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, more than 700 local election commissions in the second round of the 2020 presidential election were chaired by individuals linked to Romuald Starosielec, a figure associated with the far right.
Dominika Wielowieyska, the journalist behind the report, notes this may lend weight to earlier calls for a vote recount by Roman Giertych - an MP, prominent lawyer, and member of the ruling Civic Coalition (KO).
In a recent post on X, Giertych alleged that Starosielec was responsible for placing thousands of associates, including over a thousand commission chairpersons, in key vote-counting roles during the election.
Polish court faces 56,000 election protests ahead of ruling
Poland’s Supreme Court has received around 56,000 protests related to the recent presidential election.
A group of Supreme Court judges issued a statement questioning the legitimacy of the chamber assigned to review the challenges, declaring that the Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs "is not a court" under Polish or international legal standards.
Despite the controversy, the full chamber is expected to issue a ruling on the validity of the election on July 1, following official results submitted by the National Electoral Commission.
Former top judges question court’s legitimacy
On Thursday, six former presidents of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal have issued a joint statement warning that the legitimacy of the presidential election process must be beyond any procedural or institutional doubt.
They emphasized that only judges whose independence is not in question - under both Polish law and international standards - should rule on the validity of the vote, which is currently under review by the Supreme Court’s Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs.
Citing past rulings by the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, the former judges argued that the chamber in question does not meet the criteria of a “lawfully established, independent and impartial tribunal.”
Final figures from the National Electoral Commission show Karol Nawrocki, backed by populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, received 10,606,877 votes, while pro-European centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski garnered 10,237,286.
The margin between the two candidates was over 369,000 votes.
Meanwhile, a citizen-led petition demanding a full recount of votes in Poland’s June 1 presidential runoff election has so far gathered over 300,000 signatures.
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Source: PR24/Gazeta Wyborcza/TVP Info/X/@GiertychRoman