Poland scraps proposed media restrictions in wake of street protests

In October, the party also withdrew a plan for a total abortion ban after huge numbers of women dressed in black protested across the country.

President Andrzej Duda spoke in an interview on state television on Monday evening after holding crisis talks with key ruling party figures, including the powerful chairman, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Duda, who hails from the populist ruling party and remains aligned with it, said the party had good intentions when it announced last week that it planned to include various restrictions that would have limited the access journalists are given.

It would have marked a change from the situation of the past years, with reporters able to mingle in the halls of parliament with lawmakers and film the sessions. He said the plan was only intended to help journalists organise their work better.

But he acknowledged it was too divisive and said the matter was no longer on the table.

We must ensure citizens access to information about the work in parliament, Duda said.

Poland has been in a state of political crisis for more than a year over sweeping changes introduced by the populist Law and Justice party under Kaczynski. Many of the changes have been denounced by the European Union and liberal Poles as violations of the rule of law, particularly steps that have paralyzed the Constitutional Tribunal, weakening the system of checks and balances.

Still, Law and Justice enjoys fairly stable support, with an approval rating of 36% in a recent poll. Its most popular policy involves monthly cash bonuses for children. It has also voted to lower the retirement age from 67 to 60 for women and 65 for men a bill that Duda signed into law earlier Monday.

The crisis deepened on Friday when opposition lawmakers occupied the area around the speakers podium in parliament, blocking work on legislation. Ruling party lawmakers then moved to another room in the parliament building and voted on the budget.

Without a record that there was a quorum, there are questions about the votes legality and the opposition is demanding a new vote.