President Duda’s veto was an unexpected move because it goes against the ruling Law and Justice party for which used to be an MP and MEP, and he is still close to its leader Kacper Pempel/ReutersPoland’s president has vetoed two controversial bills criticised for giving politicians the power to choose supreme court judges, which sparked a week of street protests and the threat of EU sanctions. It was an unexpected move today from Andrzej Duda, 45, who ran for the ruling Law and Justice party for the presidency in 2015 before declaring he would preside as an independent. By sending the two bills back to parliament for review, Poland will meet a week-long deadline to re-think the plans set by the European Commission last Wednesday. Opponents who warned that the measures would end the separation of powers and neuter the independence of the courts were jubilant but vowed to watch the government’s and the president’s next moves closely to see…

Source: The Times July 24, 2017 11:03 UTC