Although the president’s veto is subject to being overturned, it requires a rare three-fifths majority vote in the lower house of parliament in Poland.

On Friday, Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki announced he vetoed a bill aimed at legalising civil partnerships.

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This proposal was initially presented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist administration ahead of last year’s parliamentary elections.

«I have consistently stated that I will not endorse anything resembling marriage,» Nawrocki expressed on X.

«In my role as the Constitution’s protector, I cannot approve a measure that would undermine the distinctive definition of marriage as a union between a woman and a man.»

The draft law, introduced to parliament last December, sought to establish a «status of the closest person» for unmarried couples, including those of the same sex.

Such unions would provide certain rights currently exclusive to married couples under Polish legislation: joint ownership of property, access to medical records, and rights related to burial.

To reduce conservative resistance, coalition leaders stressed that «closest person» status could apply not just to romantic partners but also to neighbors or family members.

After the presidential veto, Tusk condemned it on X, calling it «an act of disregard for individuals and their entitlement to happiness and a normal life».

Last year, Tusk’s pro-European Civic Coalition committed to enacting a law legalising civil partnerships within their initial 100 days in government.

Nevertheless, collaborating with more conservative coalition partners and sharing authority with Nawrocki has delayed several social issue reforms from reaching a consensus and proceeding to a vote.

A 2025 survey by state research agency CBOS revealed that 62% of Poles support legalising same-sex partnerships, marking the highest approval ever recorded for this initiative.

Poland, along with Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, remains among the few European countries yet to legalise same-sex marriage or civil unions.