Speaker of the Sejm: Procedure for punishment of MPs occupying rostrum must follow

January 24, 2017
10:19 am

- The accusations or claims made by the opposition are groundless," Marek Kuchciński, Speaker of the Sejm, told Polish Radio 24, referring to the PO's motion for his dismissal. He also said that the MPs occupying the rostrum violated the Sejm's regulations, so a procedure to punish them must follow.

Asked if he had the support of PiS in the vote on the PO motion to remove him as Speaker, Kuchcinski said he had not heard anything had changed.

- We will have a debate on the recall of the Speaker of the Diet. The justification of the motion can be debated. From my point of view it is very doubtful - said the Speaker. - Accusations or claims from the opposition are groundless - he added.

Marek Kuchciński also expressed the view that on December 16 last year, during the session of the Sejm, common sense failed on the part of a group of MPs who were the government camp until 2015.

As he evaluated, they could not reconcile themselves to the fact that after the elections, during the votes in the Sejm, they lose in a democratic way. - It seems to me that they were also used by various international forces to introduce destabilization in Poland - he said.

- In my opinion and according to all the regulations, transcripts, and records, the opposition occupying the rostrum, the Speaker's chair, and thus preventing the conduct of the session violated the Sejm's Rules of Procedure. Not only in this case," Kuchciński stressed.

Asked whether the opposition MPs would be punished, he replied that the opposition had violated the Sejm's Regulations by occupying the rostrum. - In my opinion such a process, such a procedure must take place because I am obliged to do it by the Rules of the Sejm. It is up to the Presidium of the Sejm to decide whether the MPs will be fined or punished with other punishments resulting from the Regulations of the Sejm,' he said. - I am obliged to provide the Presidium of the Sejm with full and exhaustive information on the attitude and behavior of these MPs," added Speaker Kuchciński.

The Speaker of the Sejm asked the 45 MPs who protested in the Sejm hall on December 16 for explanations; he is waiting for their answers until the start of the session scheduled for February 8. Asked about Mr Szczerba's statement that he would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg against the decision to exclude him from the Sejm, he said that every MP, just like every citizen of a free state such as the Republic of Poland, had the right to appeal against the decisions of state authorities, and such decisions were made by the Sejm.

- From these decisions, especially if they concern a given MP and if the MP believes that they are unfair, he has full right (to appeal), here no one can prohibit him from doing so," said the Sejm Speaker.

However, as he added, such decisions can be made after exhausting the internal procedure. - From the perspective of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm, the decision to approve the exclusion of Mr Szczerba was made by the Presidium of the Sejm, and as a consequence he is threatened with a rather large financial penalty, as he will be deprived of 50 percent of his salary for six months," the Speaker noted.

Asked about reports by the "DoRzeczy" portal, which reported that on December 16, when the protest in the Sejm began, PO and Nowoczesna deputies had a "joint opposition appeal" prepared, calling on the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to urgently intervene in connection with the situation in Poland, the Speaker said that the question arises as to whether a group of deputies really did not act against their own state, along the lines of a modern-day bargain.