In light of the crisis around the Constitutional Tribunal we call upon all to take responsibility for our common institutions
“Having regard for the existence and future of our Homeland, which is the common good of ALL citizens”: a call for shared responsibility for our common institutions
As a civil society organisation and as concerned citizens, we are watching with alarm the events of last night, which have deepened the years-long crisis surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal. An institution meant to safeguard the Constitution, the rule of law and our rights has been a political battleground for more than a decade. This crisis is the result of years of actions and omissions by successive political camps, and today it is citizens who bear the consequences.
The institutions of a democratic state governed by the rule of law do not belong to any party or to any parliamentary majority. They are shared, and so is the responsibility for their condition. We therefore call on the President, the government and the leaders of all political groups to refrain from escalation, both in their actions and in their words.
There are no shortcuts here. Finding a way out of this crisis, across political divides, matters more than settling who is right. We encourage politicians to sit down today, in good faith, for talks aimed at a lasting, cross-party solution that restores the credibility of state institutions in the eyes of all citizens, regardless of whom they vote for. Building trust in institutions takes years, and their independence and credibility serve every side of the political scene, those in government and those in opposition alike.
At a time of deep polarisation at home and geopolitical instability around us, we expect everyone involved to be guided by the interest of the state, not by short-term electoral calculations. Today, Poland needs all of us to take responsibility for her.
The Political Accountability Foundation