- Adam Bodnar’s term of office ends on September 9. The new Ombudsman will be elected for a 5-year term
- Bodnar was a candidate proposed by non-governmental organizations. Now selecting a nonpartisan candidate may be more difficult
- The Constitution states that “the Ombudsman is appointed by the Sejm with the consent of the Senate” and this creates a political impasse
Civic candidate
According to the findings of “Rzeczpospolita”, Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz is to be one of the possible candidates for the position of the Commissioner for Human Rights. The social side, in the form of several dozen non-governmental organizations, is to seek to consider her candidacy.
Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz is already associated with the Ombudsman’s office. She is a lawyer and main coordinator for strategic litigation in the office of the Ombudsman. Previously, she was a judge of the Higher Disciplinary Court of the Bar and a member of the women’s team at the Supreme Bar Council.
It is worth noting that the name Rudzińska-Bluszcz has not yet appeared officially. Katarzyna Batko-Tołoć from the Watchdog Polska Civic Network announced that the candidacy they support will be presented next week. However, the information from “Rzeczpospolita” shows that it is Rudzińska-Bluszcz who is to become a social candidate.
Political stalemate
Five years ago, Adam Bodnar was also a non-governmental candidate. After a successful campaign, the current Ombudsman was supported by the then ruling Civic Platform, together with the coalition partner PSL. The SLD, which belongs to the Left, also supported Bodnar’s election.
Now pushing through any of the candidates will be extremely difficult. The Constitution states that “the Ombudsman is appointed by the Sejm with the consent of the Senate”, which means that one of the candidacies must be supported by more than half of the parliamentarians in both houses. the opposition is ruling, which means that a compromise will be needed.
The largest parliamentary clubs have not yet put forward their candidates. Among the potential names, MP Bartłomiej Wróblewski from Law and Justice is mentioned, who could count on easy acceptance of his candidacy in the Sejm. The problem would be the Senate, but as Rzeczpospolita writes, there is a belief in the party that Wróblewski would be able to convince a group of opposition senators, which would be enough to win. The deputy himself did not comment on these reports.
The Civic Coalition is to be torn apart in this matter. Among the local potential candidates to replace Adam Bodnar, Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram, a former plenipotentiary in cases concerning the ban on the distribution of “LGBT free zone” stickers, is mentioned.
However, discussions about possible strategies are still ongoing in the KO ranks. Some would prefer to bet on a lesser-known person as a compromise candidate. Another person who would not have a chance for the final election, but would be beneficial to the image of the Civic Coalition.
The Left did not make a decision either. – We didn’t make a decision. We are in the process of talks and arrangements – said SLD spokeswoman Anna Maria Żukowska to Rzeczpospolita. However, non-governmental organizations are counting on the support of the Left.
– Five years ago, hardly anyone believed that Adam Bodnar would succeed. Today, the political situation is of course completely different, but we sincerely hope to find someone who will be accepted by various political forces, and at the same time guaranteeing respect for human rights, says Katarzyna Batko-Tołoć.
Source: “Republic”
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