Century of Independence: Polish President Mulls Constitution Referendum in 2018

The president said it was high time that the Polish people had spoken out about the future and directions of the state structure.

WARSAW (Sputnik) — Polish President Andrzej Duda proposed to hold a constitutional referendum in 2018, local media reported Wednesday.

"I want that in regard to the Constitution of Poland, in the following year — the year of the 100th anniversary of independence — a referendum will be held," Duda said during a ceremony on the occasion of the 226th anniversary of the adoption of the Polish constitution, as quoted by the TVN24 Channel.

Duda added that it was high time that the Polish people had spoken out about the future and directions of the state structure.

"[Polish people should say] what role they want for the president of Poland, what role they want for the Senate, the Sejm, what civil rights and freedoms should be put a focus on," Duda stressed.

In 2015, the Polish government adopted a number of controversial laws on police, media and court including one that might influence the independence of the Constitutional Tribunal Judges.

On January 13, 2016, the European Commission decided to embark on a dialog with Warsaw to prevent Poland from violating the European standards. In case the dialog does not have desirable results, Poland risks being deprived from the right to vote in the EU Council of Ministers.