Opposition to the commission law was a major spur to a huge political rally in Warsaw on June 4 at which Tusk took centre stage.
Paweł Supernak/PAP

Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, the main opposition (PO) party, has said the governing party has “capitulated” after it announced that a commission intended to investigate alleged Russian influence over Poland’s internal security would not be appointed before the October 15 general election.

The law establishing the commission, which will cover the years 2007 to 2022 and was originally granted the power to block people from assuming public office if they were deemed to have come under Russian influence, provoked criticism within Poland and also from key allies such as the US and the EU.

Critics feared, in particular, the commission could be used as a political tool to prevent Tusk, who is also a former prime minister, from running in the parliamentary elections.

Opposition to the commission law was a major spur to a huge political rally in Warsaw on June 4 at which Tusk took centre stage.

But early on Friday, Marek Ast, a member of Law and Justice’s presidium, said that an amendment to the act tabled by the president, which entered into force at the beginning of August, had delayed the appointment of the commission and members of a commission will not be appointed in the current parliamentary term.

Referring to the news, Tusk said the June 4 rally had helped scupper the commission.

“One of the reasons why we went together was the attempt to set up a commission to ‘hunt for Tusk’,” he said in a video posted on X. “I just learned that they (PiS – PAP) capitulated, withdrew from this idea, thanks to you.”

The PO leader said that on election day, planned for October 15 “their capitulation will be unconditional.”

Later on Friday, PiS spokesman Rafal Bochenek commented on the situation.

“I see that PO and the media that support them draw far-reaching conclusions from the statements of one of our colleagues,” he said.

“Nobody is letting go of anything. Transparency is an element of Poles’ security, and the commission for verifying Russian services in Poland, the so-called LexAntyPutin, is to be one of the guarantors that will eliminate the influence of Russian agents from Poland,” Bochenek said.

“We are striving for such a commission to be established,” he added.

According to Bochenek, PiS will present its candidates to sit on the commission once the deadline for submitting its members is announced.

“We are currently conducting talks on this matter,” he said.