New voting system of the European Parliament introduces three fundamental changes: two-day vote, the possibility of voting by a plenipotentiary, and a reduction in the number of Polish MEPs from 54 to 50 (in connection to EU enlargement by Romania and Bulgaria). The Senate will vote on the law this week and then it will go to the President.
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Lech Kaczyński claims however, that the new system was passed at variance with the law. As "Wprost" discovered, the President will probably refer it to the Constitutional Tribunal. In 2006 it ruled that all substantial changes to the election law should be passed 6 months before the elections. Meanwhile new MEPs are to be elected already in June. “The final decision has not been made yet, but at the moment the President is inclined to refer the regulation to the Tribunal. Citizen Platform took too long to introduce changes,” said a Kaczyński’s associate. The head of the Chancellery of the President refused to comment on this.
The situation in which the President refuses to sign the new law, creates serious complications. In the present system there are 54 MEPs, and the EU law obliges us to cut this number to 50. "If the President does not sign this law, there will be a mess. I have no idea what on what grounds the European Elections will be held in June," said MP Piotr Krzywicki (Polska XXI).
"Wprost" learned however that it is possible to cut the number of MEPs without amending the existing voting system. “Also the treaty on admitting Romania and Bulgaria says that there are 50 seats. And international agreements are more important than laws,” said an official from the Chancellery of the President to “Wprost”. “Moreover, there is a general rule that a new law derogates the old ones,” added a Sejm legislator.