Maciej Berek took the oath of office as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal at 9:00 a.m. on a Wednesday inside the office of the Marshal of the Sejm. Włodzimierz Czarzasty handed Maciej Berek the chamber’s resolution on his election to the position of judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. Senate Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, members of the Sejm Presidium, and other individuals elected as judges to the Tribunal during this term attended the ceremony. Karol Nawrocki did not appear at the gathering.
President Nawrocki Cites State Duties and Constitutional Breach
Karol Nawrocki addressed the swearing-in ceremony during a press conference alongside the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović. Nawrocki explained that the oath could not take place before him because he was hosting the Montenegrin president at the Presidential Palace. He stated that if any act contrary to the Polish constitution and law took place, it occurred outside his involvement due to other state duties. He questioned before whom Berek had sworn, maintaining that it was certainly not before the president. Nawrocki added that failing to take the oath before the president, preferably in the Presidential Palace, means Berek is certainly not a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal.
Tribunal Composition and Protests Outside the Building
President Nawrocki stated that the Constitutional Tribunal will continue to operate in its formal, constitutional composition established through oaths taken before the president. Defending the Tribunal on legal and social foundations is entirely justified, according to Nawrocki. Asked whether he supports the protest outside the Tribunal’s headquarters where clashes with police occurred, Nawrocki stated that the constitution and the Polish political system determine who is and who is not a judge of the Tribunal. He added that he did not witness the street events himself because of the official visit by the President of Montenegro.
