Its Parliament Polandcontrolled by nationalists, today passed a controversial law establishing a commission to investigate “Russian influence” in the country.

The event was described by the opposition as a “constitutional coup” as the country counts down to parliamentary elections in the fall.

This commission will be made up of nine members chosen by the lower house and will decide whether the person under investigation “ceded” to Russia between 2007 and 2022. The commission will be able to pronounce guilty verdicts.

Those found guilty may be banned from holding public positions related to public finance or intelligence services for ten years in order to “prevent them from acting again under Russian influence to the detriment of the interests of the Republic of Poland.”

Critics of the law believe that the formation of this committee violates the constitutional principle of the separation of powers (policy from the judiciary). The opposition refuses to participate in the work of the committee. He names the law “lex Tusk” after centrist opposition leader Donald Tusk, former prime minister between 2007 and 2014 and then president of the European Council, now the government’s black sheep.

According to the opposition and many commentators, the law is aimed at undermining political opponents of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) in the run-up to the parliamentary elections and prevents Tusk and other opposition camps from holding positions of responsibility if they win.

In early May, the bill was rejected by the opposition-controlled Senate, but the nationalist majority managed to pass it, and a second vote was held in the lower house today. It was approved by 234 votes to 219.

During a vote in the Senate, independent senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski said the bill “overturns the principles of Western civilization based on respect for the law: it’s like a bunch of Huns decided to pass a law.”

Other senators called the law a “witch hunt” and a “puppet court.”

The head of the commission will be appointed by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

In order for the law to come into force, it must be ratified by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is a representative of the ruling party, but has not yet expressed his opinion on this matter.

RES-EMP source