Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the most
powerful politician in Poland, is the architect of judicial reforms that have
drawn massive criticism across Europe. As the Polish government chips away at
checks and balances, is it possible the politician could drive the country out
of the EU?
By Jan
Puhl
The nucleus of Poland's
political power lies not in the parliament in Warsaw, not in the presidential
palace, but in a windowless, slightly strange looking building that most
resembles a multistory car park. It's not quite part of Warsaw's city center,
although downtown's many new glass and steel skyscrapers are still just in sight.
Every day, an official car
picks up Jaroslaw Kaczynski from his apartment in the Zoliborz neighborhood and
brings him to this office block at 84-86 Nowogrodzka. The building houses a
sushi restaurant, a copy shop and an insurance company -- and the headquarters
of Kaczynski's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Its chairman uses a separate
entrance. In the mornings, a team of young staff members supplies him with
books, newspapers and printouts. All in Polish, because Kaczynski only reads
Polish sources. At midday, a procession of black limos starts arriving,
delivering ministers -- and occasionally the president of the Polish National
Bank -- to the Nowogrodzka office to pick up directives and seek advice.
Despite holding no formal
government office, Kaczynski is Warsaw's undisputed leader. Together with his
late twin brother, Lech, he founded the PiS party in 2001 and twice led it to
victory. In 2015, he hand-picked its presidential candidate Andrzej Duda, at
the time an unknown member of the European Parliament, who went on to win the
vote. He also personally selected current Prime Minister Beata Szydlo. Both
politicians are widely seen as Kaczynski's willing stooges.
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