Polish president hits out at govt over budget vote

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's president opted to sign the country's budget but send it to a top court to check it was in line with the constitution, his office said on Wednesday, in a move likely to exacerbate tensions with a new government from an opposing political camp.

Poland's pro-European coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has promised to revert changes introduced by the former nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) administration which caused a conflict with the European Union over the rule of law.

However, it faces resistance from allies of the former ruling party who remain in positions of power, most notably President Andrzej Duda.

Duda's office said on Wednesday he signed the budget and two other bills but decided to send them to the Constitutional Tribunal to check whether they are compliant with the constitution as two PiS lawmakers had been unable to take part in the votes on them.

Former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy Maciej Wasik were convicted of abuse of power in their previous roles and lost their seats in parliament. Both men were pardoned last week by Duda.

"Similar actions will be taken by the President of the Republic of Poland each time Members of Parliament are prevented from exercising their mandate resulting from general elections," Duda's office said in a statement.

Constitution expert Marek Chmaj from SWPS University in Warsaw told Reuters the budget act would enter into force regardless.

"The Tribunal may take it up for consideration in an unspecified time. It is not bound by a deadline," he said.

In line with pledges made by Tusk before last year's general elections, the budget provides money to hike teachers' salaries by around a third while also giving state employees a 20% pay increase.

"The budget was signed and that is what's important. The rest doesn't matter. The money will go to the people, nothing can stop it," Tusk said on a social media platform X.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; Additional reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Peter Graff and Richard Chang)