Duda won't be Prime Minister? Gawkowski gives him no chance

Bąkiewicz's pardon

Robert Bąkiewicz was partially pardoned by president Andrzej Duda, who gave him the punishment of restrictions on freedom for violating the physical integrity of Catherine Augustinek, known as Grandma Kasia, during the 2020 Women's Strike demonstration. The information was first provided by the Goniec Service, and the President's decision was signed on 11 July.

The day before, lawyer General Adam Bodnar withdrew the earlier suspension of the sentence, allowing it to be full implemented, including the performance of community service. The pardon only afraid the punishment of regulation of liberty – the another elements of the judgment, specified as the work to pay the attachment, public transportation of the judgement or the suppression of the conviction, stay in force. This is the position presented by D.A. Anna Adamiak, Advocate General.

President Diana Głownia spokeswoman informed in consequence to Onetu's questions that the Chancellery of the president of the Republic of Poland is not competent to supply information concerning both ongoing and completed pardon proceedings. The message stresses that, according to the case law of the administrative courts, the pardon procedure is exceptional and refers to a private individual case, resulting in limited transparency of specified proceedings.

On the Polish President's website, there was a message about pardoning 1 person, but without giving her name. However, the date and memory of the conviction with Art. 217 Kk. allows to guess that it is Bąkiewicz.

Building the back?

Krzysztof Gawkowski in the “One-on-one” programme assessed that the President's decision to pardon Robert Bąkiewicz was an effort to build a political base for the future and keep his presence on the political phase by strengthening certain environments.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this decision discredits Andrzej Duda and symbolically closes his presidency, which he started – as he recalled – with the controversial pardon of Mariusz Kamiński and another CBA officers even before the final sentence.

In his view, the last act of grace is simply a political calculation aimed at showing support for extremist right-wing environments that may be useful to him in the future.

Duda wants to be Prime Minister

For any time there have been suspicions that Andrzej Duda had a plan to run after the presidency for the position of Prime Minister in the government of the PiS dinner with the Confederate. Gawkowski, however, finds this unlikely.

The president will not be Prime Minister Gawkowski states. – It was a lousy president, and if he was going to be Prime Minister, I think he'd compromise even faster. I don't believe he'd be the leader of any political background due to the fact that he wasn't the leader for 10 years of his presidency, and he never will be.

Gawkowski emphasized that Duda was never a real leader, and his position in politics was possible thanks to the decisions of Jarosław Kaczyński and the support of the ruling camp, which controlled the parliament. He besides pointed out that present even the president's surroundings, including his firm, are beginning to weaken and lose coherence.