International media report that Polish president Andrzej Duda has received a pledge from the ruling populist party that it won’t introduce restrictions for media access in the Parliament, a plan that had sparked days of bitter protests.

It appeared to be a victory for the political opposition and the civic activists who have staged protests since Friday. It is the second time that the ruling populist Law and Justice party has stepped back from disputed measures due to 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.

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 organize 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.

Senate speaker Stanislaw Karczewski, a member of the governing party said that the old media rules would stay in place for the time being and that he would bring new proposals to the table by 6 January.

This is the second time that PiS has backed away from controversial plans due to street demonstrations. The party also withdrew a disputed measure of a complete abortion ban in October, after women dressed in black protested across the country in huge numbers.