Poland's President proposes urgent amendments to law on Russian influences

Polish President Andrzej Duda unexpectedly said June 2 that he was proposing urgent amendments to a contentious law on Russian influences that he signed this week and that drew U.S. and European Union criticism

Polish President Andrzej Duda unexpectedly said June 2 that he was proposing urgent amendments to a contentious Law on Russian influences that he signed this week and that drew U.S. and European Union criticism.

Mr. Duda said he was aware of the controversies, also in Poland, surrounding the law proposed by the governing conservative Law and Justice party and was addressing them by sending amendments to the parliament on June 2. He urged the lawmakers to act swiftly.

He insisted the Law was needed for public transparency's sake and also to prevent Russia from influencing Poland's security.

Critics say the Law violates the Polish Constitution and could keep government opponents from holding public office without full power to challenge the decisions in court. They say it could also have a negative effect on the eligibility of opposition candidates in an election due in the autumn.

Critics said that the urgent amendments meant a retreat by Mr. Duda, who holds a Law degree.

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“It is unbelievable that a person who has a doctor's degree in Law has not read the bill through,” said Robert Kropiwnicki of the opposition Civic Coalition. “He needed four days to read it, understand it and is now amending it.”