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Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

WARSAW: Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

Senators of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party passed a bill that would remove all Supreme Court judges except those hand-picked by the justice minister. Critics say the laws will undermine judicial independence.

Now President Andrzej Duda is to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it - as the opposition and protesters demand - or send it to the Constitutional Tribunal, which PiS overhauled last year, drawing domestic opposition and criticism from the European Union.

"I see no threat to the division of powers in Poland," Przylebska, who was appointed by Duda last year, told state TV last night, according to state news agency PAP.

Przylebska said three bills overhauling the judiciary system recently approved by parliament will improve Polish courts.

Duda is to deliver a statement at 0800 GMT. Then he will meet the president of the top court, as well the head of the National Council of the Judiciary.

The overhaul of the judiciary, coupled with a drive by PiS to expand its powers in other areas, has provoked a crisis in relations with the European Union and sparked one of the biggest street protests since Poland overthrew communism in 1989.</s>Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control.

People chanted slogans, including "Constitution!" and "Freedom, Equality, Democracy!" Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect.

One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court's judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general.

The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country.

But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland."

"Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said.

He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU."

However, it's not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary's illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU's "inquisition."</s>Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country’s democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party’s control.

People chanted slogans, including “Constitution!” and “Freedom, Equality, Democracy!” Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda’s signature to take effect.

One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court’s judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general.

The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 per cent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country.

But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU’s executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that “the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland.”

“Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically,” Maas said.

He added that “the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU.”

However, it’s not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU’s “inquisition.”</s>Early this morning, Poland's Senate passed legislation that if signed into law would force all of that country's Supreme Court judges to step down except for those kept on by Poland's president. Critics fear the move would undermine the independence of the judiciary by giving control to the country's ruling party, known as the Law and Justice Party. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has been in Warsaw this week. She's back in Berlin now. Soraya, thanks so much for speaking with us.

MARTIN: So you were in Warsaw earlier this week. What did you see when you were there, and how are people reacting to this legislation?

NELSON: Well, there were definitely some of the largest protests against this government since it took office a couple of years ago. People were in front of the Parliament. They were in front of the president's office and calling for free courts. Today, actually, Lech Walesa, who has been sick recently with some heart issues, was out with protesters urging them to defend Polish democracy.

MARTIN: And remind people of who Lech Walesa is. I mean, he has tremendous moral authority, not just in Poland but around the world because...

NELSON: Lech Walesa is a Nobel laureate who was former president of Poland and also the co-founder of the Solidarity movement, the labor movement which helped bring down Communism across Eastern Europe.

MARTIN: So why would the Parliament move to pass a bill that has caused such an outpouring of protest?

NELSON: Well, Law and Justice, which is a pretty far-right populist party, they dominate the Parliament and the government. And they say that they're fulfilling campaign promises and also addressing concerns about a judiciary that many people feel is inefficient or doesn't represent the general Polish public. That is their take on it. They're completely not accepting of what the opposition in Parliament or what people on the streets are saying. They say these are the elites, and they represent average Polish people.

It's also something - it's very interesting to note that the party leader for this group, for the Law and Justice Party, claims the purge is needed to get rid of the vestiges of Communism as well. He's been the only one who has brought that up, you know, for the judiciary, but it is something that this government has been pursuing in other departments and other parts of the government in Poland.

MARTIN: I mean, what about international reaction to all of this. Has there been any?

NELSON: It's been interesting because the U.S. actually has come out - the State Department issued a statement warning Warsaw not to violate the Polish Constitution or threaten judicial independence. And the EU has been particularly upset. I mean, Poland is a member of this 28-member bloc. And they're threatening to sanction Poland under what's known as Article 7, would be the first time they'd actually impose this if they did. And it would strip Poland or could strip Poland of its right to vote.

But it's important to note Brussels has been threatening to do this sort of sanctioning against Poland for the past year because Poland has been taking other steps to try and solidify their power. At least, that's what critics are saying. They think that having, for example, the judges appointed by the populous party or its proponents is going to result in election - future elections being problematic, where you're going to end up with the party being able to control who actually wins.

MARTIN: So now the bill goes to the Polish president's desk for a signature. Is he likely to sign it?

NELSON: Well, let me just say President Andrzej Duda's nickname is Pen because he is somebody who's pretty much rubber-stamped everything that has come his way from the populist-dominated Parliament. He's a former member of the Law and Justice Party himself, although as president, he has to be independent. He did resign from the party. But it's interesting to note that his spokesman this morning said there were a couple of issues that the president has with this new bill that's coming to his desk, but he didn't elaborate on what or what he was going to do about it.

MARTIN: That's NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson. We reached her in Berlin, but she's been spending the week in Warsaw, Poland. Soraya, thank you so much for speaking with us.</s>Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control.

People chanted slogans, including "Constitution!" and "Freedom, Equality, Democracy!" Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect.

One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court's judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general.

The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country.

But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland."

"Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said.

He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU."

However, it's not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary's illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU's "inquisition."</s>WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's upper house of parliament on Saturday approved a Supreme Court overhaul, defying the European Union and critics at home who say the legislation would undermine democratic checks and balances.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Warsaw and cities across Poland for candle-lit vigils to protest against the draft bill, as the Senate debated it late into the night.

To become law, the proposal still has to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. The eurosceptic PiS argues new rules are needed to make the judiciary accountable and efficient.

But the opposition and judges groups in Poland as well as critics in Brussels say the legislation is a new step by the Polish government towards authoritarianism.

The United States, Poland's most important ally in NATO, issued a statement urging Poland to ensure any changes respect the constitution.

"We urge all sides to ensure that any judicial reform does not violate Poland's constitution or international legal obligations and respects the principles of judicial independence and separation of powers," it said in a statement.

An opinion poll for private television TVN showed on Friday that 55 percent of respondents said Duda should veto the overhaul of the judiciary, while 29 percent wanted him to sign it.

Since coming into power in 2015, the PiS has sought to tighten government influence over courts, and brought prosecutors and state media under direct government control.

It has also introduced restrictions on public gatherings and made it harder for some non-governmental organisations to function.

"We believe that Poland is slowly but systematically turning into a penal institution," opposition senator Jan Rulewski, a veteran activist of the anti-communism movement, said during the debate, dressed in a prison uniform.

The PiS remains broadly popular among its electorate, despite an upswelling of protest in recent days as it rushed the judiciary overhaul through parliament.

With the economy growing robustly and unemployment at record lows, the party's nationalist rhetoric infused with Catholic piety resonates strongly among Poland's conservative voters.

The government of the EU's biggest eastern member state has so far dismissed criticism, saying the changes would ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the "elites".

On Wednesday, the EU gave Poland a week to shelve the judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control.

If the PiS government does not back down, Poland could face fines and even a suspension of its voting rights, although other eurosceptic EU governments, notably Hungary, are likely to veto strict punishments.

Senior Czech judges denounced the judicial overhaul in Poland as an attack on the rule of law on Friday.

The PiS has offered some concessions on demand from the president, but has presented criticism from abroad as unacceptable meddling in the domestic affairs of the country, which overthrew communism in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004.

"We will not give into pressure. We will not be intimidated by Polish and foreign defenders of the interests of the elite," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in an address on state television.

While Polish assets have been largely unfazed by the political turmoil earlier this week, the zloty fell over 1 percent against the euro on Friday, underperforming all of the region's other currencies.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

WARSAW: Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

Senators of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party passed a bill that would remove all Supreme Court judges except those hand-picked by the justice minister. Critics say the laws will undermine judicial independence.

Now President Andrzej Duda is to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it - as the opposition and protesters demand - or send it to the Constitutional Tribunal, which PiS overhauled last year, drawing domestic opposition and criticism from the European Union.

"I see no threat to the division of powers in Poland," Przylebska, who was appointed by Duda last year, told state TV last night, according to state news agency PAP.

Przylebska said three bills overhauling the judiciary system recently approved by parliament will improve Polish courts.

Duda is to deliver a statement at 0800 GMT. Then he will meet the president of the top court, as well the head of the National Council of the Judiciary.

The overhaul of the judiciary, coupled with a drive by PiS to expand its powers in other areas, has provoked a crisis in relations with the European Union and sparked one of the biggest street protests since Poland overthrew communism in 1989.</s>By Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland ’ Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country’s democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party’s control.

People chanted slogans, including “Constitution!” and “Freedom, Equality, Democracy!” Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda’s signature to take effect.

One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court’s judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general.

The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country.

But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU’s executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that “the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland.”

“Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically,” Maas said.

He added that “the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU.”

However, it’s not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU’s “inquisition.”</s>* U.S. urges Poland to ensure constitution not violated

* Polish premier says will not give into pressure (Releads with Senate voting)

WARSAW, July 22 (Reuters) - Poland's upper house of parliament on Saturday approved a Supreme Court overhaul, defying the European Union and critics at home who say the legislation would undermine democratic checks and balances.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Warsaw and cities across Poland for candle-lit vigils to protest against the draft bill, as the Senate debated it late into the night.

To become law, the proposal still has to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. The eurosceptic PiS argues new rules are needed to make the judiciary accountable and efficient.

But the opposition and judges groups in Poland as well as critics in Brussels say the legislation is a new step by the Polish government towards authoritarianism.

The United States, Poland's most important ally in NATO, issued a statement urging Poland to ensure any changes respect the constitution.

"We urge all sides to ensure that any judicial reform does not violate Poland's constitution or international legal obligations and respects the principles of judicial independence and separation of powers," it said in a statement.

An opinion poll for private television TVN showed on Friday that 55 percent of respondents said Duda should veto the overhaul of the judiciary, while 29 percent wanted him to sign it.

Since coming into power in 2015, the PiS has sought to tighten government influence over courts, and brought prosecutors and state media under direct government control.

It has also introduced restrictions on public gatherings and made it harder for some non-governmental organisations to function.

"We believe that Poland is slowly but systematically turning into a penal institution," opposition senator Jan Rulewski, a veteran activist of the anti-communism movement, said during the debate, dressed in a prison uniform.

The PiS remains broadly popular among its electorate, despite an upswelling of protest in recent days as it rushed the judiciary overhaul through parliament.

With the economy growing robustly and unemployment at record lows, the party's nationalist rhetoric infused with Catholic piety resonates strongly among Poland's conservative voters.

The government of the EU's biggest eastern member state has so far dismissed criticism, saying the changes would ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the "elites".

On Wednesday, the EU gave Poland a week to shelve the judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control.

If the PiS government does not back down, Poland could face fines and even a suspension of its voting rights, although other eurosceptic EU governments, notably Hungary, are likely to veto strict punishments.

Senior Czech judges denounced the judicial overhaul in Poland as an attack on the rule of law on Friday.

The PiS has offered some concessions on demand from the president, but has presented criticism from abroad as unacceptable meddling in the domestic affairs of the country, which overthrew communism in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004.

"We will not give into pressure. We will not be intimidated by Polish and foreign defenders of the interests of the elite," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in an address on state television.

While Polish assets have been largely unfazed by the political turmoil earlier this week, the zloty fell over 1 percent against the euro on Friday, underperforming all of the region's other currencies. (Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko, Pawel Sobczak, Pawel Florkiewicz and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Catherine Evans, Toni Reinhold and Diane Craft)</s>Thousands of Poles protested for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic foundations, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace in the capital. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto contentious legislation that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control.

Polish media reported that other protests were taking place in other cities across Poland and Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect.

The moves to take control of the courts have also alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to stripping Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed the possible EU sanctions against Poland, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland."

"Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said.

He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU."
Poles march against a bill that critics say might decrease judicial independence in Poland. Hungary has supported the bill while the European Union has opposed it. The protesters hope that the President Andrzej Duda would intervene against the proposed law.