Polish President Nawrocki vetoes LGBTQI partnership law

The Polish president says "no" to securing informal life partnerships. Not only Prime Minister Tusk is outraged.

19 July 2026 | 15:49 Uhr

Has vetoed the LGBTIQ law: Poland's right-wing nationalist President Karol Nawrocki. Photo: Yves Herman/reuters

From Warsaw — Gabriele Lesser

It was clear from the outset: Poland's right-wing nationalist President Karol Nawrocki would veto the LGBTIQ law. And that is exactly what he has now done.

The aim of the law was to legally secure the situation of informal life partnerships. Under the proposed legislation, it would have been possible to conclude a contract before a notary, enabling a marriage-like cohabitation. The EU and the European Court of Human Rights have long demanded that Poland adapt its legislation to align with the law common across the EU.

The Left party — part of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's center-left coalition, which was leading the law — had already made many concessions. The legislative proposal was extended to cover all life partnerships and was renamed the "Law on the Status of the Closest Person." A second law was intended to facilitate the implementation of legal changes in around 200 existing laws.

Until now, LGBTIQ couples in Poland live without any legal protection. They cannot even obtain medical information if their partner is in hospital.

Tusk's Outrage

"The president's veto is an expression of contempt for people and their right to happiness and a normal life," Prime Minister Donald Tusk fumed after learning of Nawrocki's blockade.

Poland's president had been regularly informed about the progress of the legislative project — via an intermediary from the ultra-conservative Peasant Party in the coalition. Allegedly, he repeatedly indicated that he was ready for a minimal consensus. As promised during the election campaign, he had said he would sign the law.

No President "of All Poles"

"I took a step back," justified Katarzyna Kotula from the Left party, "to enable everyone to sign this law — the government, the Sejm, and the Senate."

President Nawrocki, with his veto, had turned his back on around two million Poles living in informal partnerships. With the veto, Nawrocki broke his election promise to be a president "of all Poles."

Poland's president did not mention the regular information and consultations with the government in his long video message. Instead, he claimed that as the guardian of the constitution, he could not allow the government to create an alternative institution to marriage. Article 18 of the constitution explicitly places marriage as a "union between a man and a woman" under the special protection of the state.

Constitutional lawyers like Ewa Letowska have repeatedly explained in recent months that Poland's constitution only stipulates special protection — not whether a marriage must necessarily consist of a man and a woman. A marriage between two men or two women is also conceivable, which could also be under the protection of the state without even touching the constitutionally defined "special protection" of a marriage between a man and a woman concluded before a registry office or church altar.

Supporter of Expensive Divorce Proceedings

Nawrocki goes even further in his justification of the veto. Allegedly, the government aims to "replace" the marriage between a man and a woman with a new institution, as enshrined in the constitution. Nawrocki is particularly outraged that a life partnership could be dissolved relatively easily with a signature before a notary.

Poland's president is a supporter of the most lengthy and expensive divorce proceedings possible. Allegedly, state-controlled procedures would contribute to saving many broken marriages. Just a few months ago, he vetoed a government law that would have allowed a consensual divorce without a trial and expensive legal fees.