The Sejm will resume its proceedings at 9:00 AM with a 30-minute voting block, followed at 9:30 AM by the first reading of the government's draft budget bill for 2024. The debate on this matter will occupy the majority of the day.

A one-hour voting block is scheduled for 5:30 PM, during which MPs will appoint members to the National Electoral Commission and select the personnel for a second investigative committee – tasked with examining the so-called "visa scandal."

At 11:30 AM, on the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen and Deceased in Military Missions and Operations Abroad, President Andrzej Duda will pay tribute to the soldiers and military personnel who perished in these missions.

- I am very much in favour of decency in public life and the rule of law in Poland, and what happened yesterday, unfortunately, completely contradicts this, because yesterday the Constitution was grossly violated by Minister Sienkiewicz. It cannot be the case that the Sejm issues resolutions, and these resolutions, according to a constitutional minister, replace statutes or amend statutes. Let us remember that we have a statutory body today, as the statute has not been changed, which is the National Media Council (RMN) - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- If the state, the Prime Minister, his associates, ministers want to change the legal rules for appointing public media authorities, fine, but first the law must be changed, not by adopting an act in the Sejm that is not a legal act, that does not create binding law, and then referring to it, bypassing the law - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- Yes, these are entirely unlawful actions [by the Minister of Culture]. This is anarchy. Anarchy is bypassing current law when, under the existing provisions of the Constitution, with a parliamentary majority, changing that law is normally possible, and this law we are discussing has never been contested - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- I used political measures because I genuinely wanted changes in public media, just like many Poles. It was, in a sense, my response to societal expectations. I believed that as president, I should do this. Since I don't have the authority in this regard from the presidential office's perspective, I exclusively employed measures of a political nature - stated President Andrzej Duda on the program "Gość Radia Zet".

- I have always acted in accordance with the constitution. Yesterday, the constitution was flagrantly violated by Minister Sienkiewicz, and I say this with full responsibility. I am curious if the government representatives are able to present at least one responsible lawyer who will come out and say that what they did is in line with the current law in Poland - stated President Andrzej Duda on the program "Gość Radia Zet".

- Unfortunately, we continue to have such a situation in the justice system, and I think all citizens see this, that Polish courts have a big problem convicting anyone for corruption, but as it turns out, they had no problem whatsoever in pursuing people who fought against corruption with incredible determination. The gentlemen were convicted solely for fighting corruption - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- In their case [Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik], no new proceedings are taking place. The act of grace exists, it is a binding act, the gentlemen are acquitted, meaning, I apologize, they have been granted an act of grace, because an act of grace does not pertain to guilt, but is simply a release from criminal liability - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- Minister Bodnar was recently pleased to articulate certain announcements that would suggest he wants to issue guidelines to Polish judges on how they should rule in courts. This indeed has a lot in common with European principles of judicial independence, the independence of judges, etc., etc. This vividly recalls Stalinist times. In this aspect, we last saw such situations during the PRL - stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- I told them [Wąsik and Kamiński] that if they are sent to prison, they will be the first political prisoners in Poland after 1989. I absolutely disagree with the court's verdict; it is a complete violation of constitutional norms - stated President Andrzej Duda on the program "Gość Radia Zet".

- As a lawyer, I can answer this way – I have never seen any evidence to support such a claim [that Donald Tusk is a German agent]. It was a very emotional debate, and perhaps not all viewers and listeners of this debate realized it, but I know both President Kaczyński well, and I know Prime Minister Tusk, and I also knew President Kaczyński, and I was here during President Kaczyński's meetings with the then-Prime Minister Tusk. And I will say this – Prime Minister Tusk very skillfully played on Jarosław Kaczyński's emotions in the Sejm. Those who know the matter saw it, but the ordinary viewer probably didn't. He did it very skillfully – stated President Andrzej Duda on Radio Zet.

- The topic of IVF is indeed a very difficult one for me, but as I am also the President of the Republic of Poland, I had to take many factors into consideration. From a legal perspective, firstly, it was not a law introducing IVF in Poland; it solely concerned the funding of IVF. Secondly, this law in fact did not introduce any procedures, as procedures will only be introduced based on this law through executive acts - stated President Andrzej Duda on the program „Gość Radia Zet”.

- We are defending principles, we are defending rules. The act could have truly been passed through parliament. One could have tried to convince the President. One could have acted in various ways, but not so brutally, aggressively, and unlawfully. How can Prime Minister Tusk say at the President's office that he will act in accordance with the constitution and laws, and then directly violate the Act on Radio and Television and the National Media Council – said Krzysztof Szczucki on TVN24.

- I am convinced that the act of grace the president issued earlier is valid. Consequently, Marshal Hołownia should not annul the mandates of MPs Wąsik and Kamiński. This act of grace is also legally binding, it is also in force. This court proceeding should not even continue, the act of grace is valid. I don't rule out that the president will make another confirming act, but I will say once again, from a constitutional point of view, in my opinion, it is not necessary – stated Krzysztof Szczucki on TVN24.

- I am requesting the adjournment of the session and the addition of information from Colonel Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz of the Office for State Protection, who was delegated by Donald Tusk to conduct a special operation in the public media. The High Chamber deserves an answer to the following questions: why were Poles unable to watch Teleexpress, Panorama, and Wiadomości? Secondly, who is the operative who appeared on TVP1 yesterday at 7:30 PM? Although without a uniform, he certainly looked as if he were in one. Thirdly, does the forceful seizure of public institutions fit within the standards of the sunny, smiling Poland that Donald Tusk spoke so much about? Fourthly, why does Tusk need two TVN stations? - stated Mariusz Błaszczak in the Sejm.

- What is the connection between the takeover of public media and the fact that the EU adopted an agreement on the mandatory relocation of migrants yesterday, and how many of them does Poland intend to accept? - he continued.

- In connection with the information raised by Mr. Speaker regarding the planned issuance of decisions to expire the mandates of the Members of Parliament, it must be unequivocally stated that as a result of the application of the right of grace towards Mr. Mariusz Kamiński and Mr. Maciej Wąsik, there are no grounds to declare the mandate expired — President Andrzej Duda wrote in a letter to Sejm Speaker Szymon Hołownia.

W związku z podnoszoną przez Pana Marszałka informacją o planowanym wydaniu postanowień o wygaszeniu mandatów Panom Posłom, należy jednoznacznie stwierdzić, że na skutek zastosowania prawa łaski wobec Pana Mariusza Kamińskiego i Pana Macieja Wąsika, nie zachodzą przesłanki do… pic.twitter.com/8Jou0i2SMf

— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) December 21, 2023

– There is no shadow of a doubt that the change of power initiated by the October 15th elections has triggered a positive reaction from the economy. A positive reaction from financial markets. Since mid-October, the zloty has strengthened against the euro and the dollar. By 5% and 9% respectively, making it one of the strongest currencies in the world during that period. The yields on Polish ten-year bonds fell yesterday below the 5% level, the lowest since the spring of last year. This is thanks to the credibility of Donald Tusk's government and lower global interest rate expectations – stated Andrzej Domański in the Sejm.

- We have also secured funding for the in vitro program in the budget, amounting to PLN 500 million. PLN 180 million in subsidies for the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), PLN 150 million for co-financing student dormitory modernization, and PLN 10 million for financing the child helpline. Simultaneously, necessary funds are ensured for the continuation of existing socio-economic policy measures such as the 800+ program, the 13th and 14th pension, and other family support programs – stated Andrzej Domański in the Sejm.

- This budget is a kind of temporary budget. In the next 6 months, I am convinced it will require amendment. We are now rushing to adopt it so as not to give a pretext for dissolving parliament - stated Ryszard Petru in the Sejm.

- This is a creeping state of war, an analogy to December 13th. Then, too, on December 13th, Jaruzelski introduced martial law, television was taken over, there was no Teleranek, programs also disappeared. Today, such a contemporary, slightly different, but still somewhat similar December 13th. I am talking about analogies of certain actions, and they are analogous. I'm not saying Jaruzelski is the same as Donald Tusk, but these forceful actions are similar. Then there was Moscow's support, today it is Berlin's - stated Marek Suski in an interview with Jacek Prusinowski on the Radio Plus program "Sedno sprawy".

- Disregard. The Marshal, like our MP said, that the MP there was roughed up, he said "do something about it." Later, at the convention, I asked the Marshal to address this, and he said, "it's not on the convention's agenda." So I told him that he's behaving similarly to the Marshal of the Sejm during martial law; he was in that united front, he didn't protest, he just agreed to those unlawful actions, and today Marshal Hołownia follows Tusk's orders. He's simply his footstool - stated Marek Suski in the program "Sedno sprawy" on Radio Plus.

- The Law and Justice Parliamentary Club strongly opposes the actions of the Marshal of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, who announced the revocation of the parliamentary mandates of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik. As a result of the President of the Republic of Poland exercising his right of clemency, there are no grounds to declare the mandates null and void. It should be clearly stated that this matter is political. This is evidenced by, among other things, the fact that the panel was chaired by a judge who questioned laws passed by the Sejm, and who was also publicly involved in criticizing the decisions of the parliamentary majority, whose members are the MPs whose case was being heard – stated the PiS club in their official position, published on social media.

‼ WAŻNA UCHWAŁA KLUBU PARLAMENTARNEGO PiS
?
Klub Parlamentarny Prawa i Sprawiedliwości stanowczo sprzeciwia się działaniom Marszałka Sejmu Szymona Hołowni, który zapowiedział wygaszenie mandatów poselskich Mariusza Kamińskiego i Macieja Wąsika. Na skutek zastosowania prawa…

— Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (@pisorgpl) December 21, 2023

Marszałek Sejmu @szymon_holownia wydał postanowienia w sprawie stwierdzenia wygaśnięcia mandatów poselskich Mariusza Kamińskiego i Macieja Wąsika. Odpowiednia korespondencja została również wysłana do Pana Prezydenta @AndrzejDuda. pic.twitter.com/iEZECEtkRG

— Sejm RP?? (@KancelariaSejmu) December 21, 2023

- The President's position on this matter is unambiguous. In 2015, in accordance with the law, the prerogative regarding the application of the right of clemency in the form of individual amnesty was fully exercised. The President had full constitutional authority to do so, there are 3 rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal on this matter. Subsequent actions, primarily by the Supreme Court without a legal basis, mean that there is no state body or court that has the right to judge the President of the Republic of Poland's exercise of his prerogatives - stated Małgorzata Paprocka at a press briefing in the Sejm.

- The liquidation of the PiS television is something that was necessary because it was a hate-mongering outlet that destroyed this country, this society, that harbored hatred, incited it, and led to many tragedies. It is the greatest fortune that this signal is simply gone, and it is your shame that you created such a partisan television with public money. Shame on you - stated Monika Rosa in the Sejm.

- Can you imagine what would happen if the PiS government did something similar to what you did? The whole world would scream about breaking democracy, about an assault on free media, about citizens having no say. We value democracy, we are a libertarian party and we understand that if someone wins elections, they have the right to implement their program, but it is implemented through laws, as we did, in accordance with the Constitution - stated Elżbieta Witek in the Sejm.

- I have sent a request to the National Court Register to refuse the entry into the KRS of individuals unlawfully appointed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to the authorities of Telewizja Polska SA, Polskie Radio SA, and Polska Agencja Prasowa - wrote the head of KRRiT, Maciej Świrski, on Twitter.

Wysłałem do Krajowego Rejestru Sądowego wniosek o odmowę dokonania wpisu do KRS osób bezprawnie powołanych przez Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego do władz spółek Telewizja Polska SA, Polskie Radio SA i Polska Agencja Prasowa. pic.twitter.com/axsRaAo3Zz

— Maciej Świrski (@Maciej_Swirski) December 21, 2023

– In connection with this resolution, we are commencing work on a new order concerning public media. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has already held discussions with President Duda on this matter. These efforts should be of a very broad nature, conducted in an atmosphere of social dialogue, taking into account the opinions of all interested parties, including creative communities and civic associations. However, before the law is created, it is necessary to secure the proper functioning of public media – stated Jan Grabiec at a press conference in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

- I understand that the appearance of MPs Kamiński and Wąsik caused emotions in the chamber. I wish to inform you about the factual situation. The factual situation is as follows: today, after the Ministry of Justice delivered the court's verdict in the case of both mentioned MPs, I signed an order revoking both mandates. Attached to it is a letter requesting the honorable MPs to refrain from performing duties related to their parliamentary mandate. At the same time, being aware that both gentlemen have the right to an appeal to the Supreme Court, I have refrained from taking any further actions, such as, for example, declaring that someone else will take their place, until the appeal process, which both gentlemen are entitled to, is concluded. From media statements, I gather that both gentlemen will file such an appeal to the Supreme Court - stated Szymon Hołownia in the Sejm.

Bez komentarza… pic.twitter.com/mLquYLtJHR

— Borys Budka (@bbudka) December 21, 2023

Media portals have been abuzz with Finance Minister Andrzej Domański's statement about halting funds for TVP. In essence, the minister simply confirmed a legal status that had been planned for several days – nothing has changed here. On Tuesday, the government submitted an amendment to the so-called budget-related bill to the Sejm, proposing a new mechanism for compensation for public media.

Two provisions of the bill are clear: the minister may transfer treasury securities to public radio and television entities as compensation for lost subscription fee revenues in 2024 due to exemptions. The earlier provision – Articles 14 and 15 – speaks of increasing the share capital of these entities.

The key word here is "may." This is effectively the implementation of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's announcement from Tuesday's press conference, where he stated that the government was prepared for potential co-financing of public media, but – as he put it – "after the situation has been rectified." "For now, we are not planning funds for public media," he added.



The aforementioned budget-related bill was passed a few hours ago, along with the provisions described. In principle, completely omitting compensation in the budget would be difficult to explain – at the beginning of 2020, in a different act – the so-called subscription act (the one over which the then-rulers fought with President Duda) – PiS introduced a compensation mechanism for public media for the years 2020-2024.

However, it is unclear whether the president will agree to such provisions in the budget-related bill. Andrzej Duda cannot veto the budget bill itself (although in theory the Constitutional Tribunal is also an option), but he can veto the budget-related bill.

Zbigniew Bogucki, Piotr Kaleta, Daniel Milewski, Andrzej Śliwka (PiS), Maria Małgorzata Janyska, Marek Sowa, Michał Szczerba (KO), Maciej Konieczny (Lewica), Aleksandra Leo (Polska 2050), Mirosław Adam Orliński (PSL), and Krzysztof Mulawa (Konfederacja) have been elected by MPs to the investigative committee concerning the visa affair.

- No one questions the right of the parliamentary majority to implement legislative projects. If there is a bill, a majority is gathered in the Polish Sejm, then in the Polish Senate, and such a law gains the president's acceptance. Then, we can indeed talk about a change in the law and other changes based on these regulations. For now, there is no bill, and the actions that have been taken are illegal and usurpatory, and we hope that law enforcement agencies will deal with those who are breaking the law – stated Marcin Przydacz at a press conference in the Sejm.

- Unlike advocate Giertych, I wasn't illegally handcuffed by the PiS regime, and they didn't try to destroy me, literally physically, as they tried to destroy advocate Giertych in a completely illegal and scandalous manner, who, as the court later showed, was handcuffed in the courthouse - stated Michał Kamiński in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program "Gość Wydarzeń" Polsat News.

- Personally, as Michał Kamiński, I never tell anyone that I wish anyone imprisonment, so you won't hear such wishes from me - he added.

- I believe that the parliamentary majority made a right decision, and I believe that Minister Sienkiewicz is acting not only lawfully, but in accordance with the will of the majority and the will of an absolute majority of Poles - stated Michał Kamiński on the program "Gość Wydarzeń" on Polsat News.

- We will ironcladly and consistently implement what we promised Poles. And in the case of the budget, let's not deceive ourselves that this scandal serves PiS to cover up the budget debate, in which we are spectacularly implementing our first election promises, by giving teachers a 30% raise - he added.

- A brief conversation between President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk regarding potential legislative changes concerning public media took place on the sidelines of the National Security Council meeting - stated the President's Chancellery in a communiqué.

"The President is open to cooperation on matters important for Poland. The President was not presented with any specific draft regulations. The conversation took place after Minister B. Sienkiewicz's decisions.

Any potential future changes to the law do not justify or abolish the consequences of the gross violation of law that occurred yesterday."

Komunikat Kancelarii Prezydenta RP:

Krótka rozmowa Prezydenta @AndrzejDuda z Premierem @donaldtusk o ewentualnych zmianach ustawodawczych dotyczących mediów publicznych odbyła się przy okazji RBN.

Prezydent jest otwarty na współpracę w ważnych dla Polski sprawach.… pic.twitter.com/8JhpRHzyUY

— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) December 21, 2023