Duda says Constitutional Court decides about its president's tenure

Andrzej Duda, Polish president, has said that it us up to the Constitutional Tribunal to decide whether the term of its current president has ended as some judges claim.

On Wednesday, Rzeczpospolita daily reported that six top court judges argued that based on the law on the organisation and procedure before the Constitutional Court, Julia Przylebska’s term as president has ended. They believe that Przylebska falls under the regulation that provides for a six-year presidential term, which ended on December 20 last year and that she could not be elected for this position again.

According to the daily, the judges wrote to Przylebska demanding she calls for the convening of the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court and select candidates, from which Duda will appoint a new president. They have also notified Duda about their motion.

On Thursday, Duda told a press conference in Rome that the case should be dealt with by the top court itself.

"It is the Constitutional Tribunal that decides on this matter at this stage," he said.

On Thursday morning, Przylebska provided PAP with a letter, in which she wrote that she was elected to the post and subsequently appointed by Duda on December 21, 2016 under Article 194(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.

She argued that at the time the binding regulations "did not regulate the… term of office of the President of the Constitutional Tribunal." She added that such regulations were implemented after she was already appointed as the President of the Constitutional Court.