There is less than a year left until the end of President Andrzej Duda’s term. For the ruling coalition, taking power in the Presidential Palace is an opportunity to unblock a significant part of its agenda. The fact that such a blockage exists and that cohabitation has been and will be difficult was best demonstrated on Friday. President Andrzej Duda vetoed the bill liquidating the commission investigating Russian influence in 2007-2022. The creation of this commission last year became part of the Sejm election campaign. And the current ruling coalition used the PiS idea to show that the then government wanted, above all, to prosecute Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The pros and cons of cohabitation
President Andrzej Duda had already announced a few weeks earlier that he would veto the bill that was supposed to decriminalize abortion. However, the bill was lost in parliament anyway, but there is no doubt that if it reaches the president’s desk, Andrzej Duda will keep his promise. On the other hand, the president expressed his consent – also on Friday – for Piotr Serafin to become a candidate for commissioner. Many people expected that, as far as the commissioner is concerned, the issue of his appointment would become a separate field of dispute as part of the cohabitation between the government and the president. However, this did not happen. In security matters, the cohabitation is also going well, which was also evident this week during the parade on the occasion of the Polish Army Day. However, this image is marred, for example, by the dispute over ambassadors. There is no indication that the issue will be resolved amicably before the end of the term.
President Andrzej Duda is sending a signal to the right-wing electorate
We have already written in Rzeczpospolita that the course of the last year of the president’s term will largely determine his political future after he leaves office. This means that cohabitation and its form will also have an impact on it. The Presidential Palace presented an extensive justification for its decision on Friday. But the context is clear: by vetoing the law on the liquidation of the Russian Influence Commission, the president sent a signal to the right-wing electorate. That there will be no compromises with the current government on issues that are important to this electorate, which does not have the votes to override a veto. And this will be the case until the end of this term. Only then will it be possible to decide what the president’s political future will be. But there is no doubt that if he wants to play a role on the right – in one way or another – he will have to take care of “his” electorate. And this will be the case until August next year.
