Sławomir Mentzen, leader of Poland's far-right Konfederacja party, published a photograph on X showing himself seated with Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the head of the Polish People's Party (PSL), deputy prime minister and defence minister. PolsatNews.pl reports that the photo appeared after PSL put forward a proposal for a "constitutional reset" concerning the Constitutional Court.
Mentzen captioned the image "Idzie ku dobremu" — "It is heading toward better" — a phrase that echoes an earlier post by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Kosiniak-Kamysz shared the same photograph on his own account, writing that everyone was talking about the meeting and describing his day as very busy, according to PolsatNews.pl.
Why it matters
The image places two opposition-adjacent and coalition figures at one table at a moment when the future of the Constitutional Court has become the central argument in Polish politics. PSL sits in the governing coalition, while Konfederacja does not, and Mentzen's post suggests a channel of communication that cuts across the government's own camp.
The caption also carries a pointed edge. Tusk used the same words in a post on Tuesday, published after a meeting of the National Security Council at which President Karol Nawrocki placed responsibility for the situation around the Constitutional Court on the prime minister, PolsatNews.pl reports. Mentzen's reuse of the phrase reads as a jab at Tusk, borrowing his own language while posing beside a member of his government.
What PSL is proposing
Kosiniak-Kamysz presented his party's draft amendment to the Polish Constitution on Thursday. Under the proposal, the National Assembly — the Sejm and Senate sitting jointly, 560 parliamentarians in total — could declare that the Constitutional Court is permanently unable to carry out its duties. Such a move would require a motivated request from the National Judicial Council, according to the text published on X.
The declaration would need a resolution adopted by at least three-fifths of the National Assembly's statutory membership, meaning a minimum of 336 lawmakers. Once that resolution passed, the same body would elect 15 Constitutional Court judges in a single vote, again by the same majority, with five judges serving terms of three, six and nine years respectively.
Candidates would be nominated by the Marshal of the Sejm from among people distinguished by their legal expertise. The marshal would act after consulting, among others, the first presidents of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, and with the prior consent of the president, per the PSL proposal.
Coalition partners are wary
The largest coalition partner, Civic Coalition (KO), has responded with scepticism. Borys Budka, a KO vice-chair and member of the European Parliament, said it was hard to imagine amending the constitution together with someone like Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński, PolsatNews.pl reports. Budka added that the Constitutional Court is gradually returning to normal functioning and that independent judges elected by the Sejm in line with the constitution have begun their work.
The Left has ruled out backing the plan. Tomasz Trela said anyone who believes the Left would change the constitution arm in arm with PiS is mistaken, and that without PiS the change probably cannot be achieved, according to PolsatNews.pl.
Konfederacja, by contrast, has not rejected the idea. MP Michał Wawer said the party would analyse the proposal and that it appears to meet the criteria of a "constitutional reset." He called it a surprise that such a plan came from within the governing coalition and noted that it does not assume total dependence of the Constitutional Court on Donald Tusk's political will. The proposal, he said, does not look bad.
The arithmetic problem
The numbers explain the caution. A three-fifths majority of 560 seats means 336 votes, a threshold that cannot be reached by the current governing parties alone and would require support from PiS or a large bloc of its lawmakers. Both KO and the Left have effectively closed that door, at least in public statements, leaving the project without an obvious path to passage.
That is why the photograph of Mentzen and Kosiniak-Kamysz drew attention. Konfederacja's seats would not by themselves deliver the required majority, but its openness to the plan gives PSL at least one potential partner outside the immediate coalition dispute. Whether that conversation extends beyond a photo and a caption remains unclear.
The commentariat has been blunt. A constitutional law expert quoted by Interia described the Constitutional Court as a "zombie institution" while calling the PSL idea unacceptable, and Onet reported the reaction that one can reset a phone, not a tribunal. Those characterisations come from the cited outlets and reflect the sharp tone the debate has taken.
What to watch
PSL has put a concrete mechanism on the table: a National Assembly declaration, a supermajority threshold and a single-vote election of 15 judges. The next test is whether any party outside PSL is willing to sign on in substance rather than in commentary. Watch whether Konfederacja moves from analysis to formal support, and whether KO or the Left shift from rejection — the proposal cannot advance without at least one of them changing position.
