Polish President to Veto Same-Sex Couples Rights Bill
Poland's conservative President Karol Nawrocki will veto legislation granting same-sex couples contractual rights, calling it an unconstitutional backdoor attempt to introduce same-sex marriage.
The bill, which passed on May 29, would allow unmarried same-sex couples to sign notarized contracts granting them a range of rights currently reserved for married couples. These include joint property ownership, joint tax filing, access to a partner’s medical records, exemption from inheritance and gift taxes, and burial decision-making authority.
Poland’s constitution explicitly defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. President Nawrocki and the conservative opposition Law and Justice party (PiS) view the civil partnership legislation as a backdoor attempt to introduce same-sex marriage through incremental legal changes.
The legislation emerged from difficult negotiations within Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s center-left coalition. The Left Party, which openly advocates for same-sex marriage, eventually reached agreement with the more socially conservative Polish People’s Party (PSL) on the bill’s provisions.
Katarzyna Kotula, the government’s equality minister, acknowledged in a social media post that the legislation was merely an opening move. She addressed the LGBT community directly, stating the vote would serve as a reminder that LGBT rights are human rights and promising continued advocacy ahead of next year’s elections.
The Tusk government previously attempted to expand LGBT protections last year with hate speech legislation, but that measure was also vetoed by President Nawrocki.
Presidential Veto Assured
Paweł Szefernaker, a senior aide to the president, confirmed the veto decision unequivocally. President Nawrocki later stated he would not sign legislation creating an alternative form of marriage that undermines Poland’s constitution.
However, Nawrocki indicated openness to more limited measures that would help close relatives function administratively without ideological pressure or attempts to erode marriage’s unique constitutional status, though he provided no specifics.
The presidential veto will be decisive since the governing coalition lacks the three-fifths supermajority needed to override it. Constitutional changes would require an even larger two-thirds majority.
Foreign Marriage Recognition Creates Legal Uncertainty
The parliamentary debate has unfolded amid controversial developments regarding foreign same-sex marriages. Following a European Court of Justice ruling, the Tusk government has begun recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other EU member states.
Warsaw and Wrocław recently became the first Polish cities to transcribe foreign same-sex marriages into Poland’s civil registry, and the government has issued regulations enabling registry offices nationwide to recognize such unions.
Significant legal uncertainty remains regarding the practical consequences of such recognition under Polish law, which does not permit same-sex marriage. Questions about divorce proceedings and other legal matters for registered foreign marriages remain unresolved, Brussels Signal reports.
Both PiS and the Confederation party, the two main right-wing opposition forces, had urged Nawrocki to veto the civil partnership legislation.
With information from Brussels Signal
