Polish President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed a bill approved by parliament which would have granted unmarried partners, including same-sex couples, partial legal rights. The move was met with harsh criticism from the ruling coalition in Poland, which proposed the legislation.

After taking office in 2023, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, who for years had been targeted by political institutions in the country. Tusk’s ruling coalition proposed a bill that, if signed into law, would have introduced “cohabitation contracts” for couples living together, including partners of the same sex. The bill would have granted them some of the rights available to married couples, including joint property and tax settlement, access to their partner’s medical information, exemption from inheritance and gift taxes, and the right to decide about their partner’s burial if they die.

Such a law would have established the rights of same-sex couples for the first time in domestic legislation in Poland. The country already recognises same-sex marriages registered abroad following an EU court ruling delivered in November 2025.

While the bill granting rights to same-sex couples was approved by both houses of parliament in May and June, it was vetoed by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who is an ally of the nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS).

The Polish President rejected the bill, saying that the measures would “introduce civil partnerships through the back door”, and stated that such unions were “intended to replace or substitute the institution of marriage”.

“As the guardian of the constitution, I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage defined in article 18 of the constitution as a union between a woman and a man, placed under the protection and care of the Republic of Poland,” he added.

Condemning Nawrocki’s decision, Prime Minister Tusk stated on X: “The presidential veto is an expression of contempt for people and their right to happiness and a normal life.”

To overturn the President’s veto, the government would need a three-fifths ​majority in parliament. However, this appears impossible to achieve due to the nationalist parties’ opposition to the bill.

Speaking about the President’s move, the Campaign Against ​Homophobia (KPH) said: “Today’s veto of the bill, however, shows that even the absolute minimum of ​rights the bill was intended to provide is too much for the president.”