Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk clashed over control of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw.
Nawrocki cut short a flight to Senegal on Friday and forced his way into the tribunal building after midnight, pushing past judges including Anna Korwin-Piotrowska to enter. The confrontation followed Korwin-Piotrowska’s announcement suspending tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, a move she said restored the rule of law. The tribunal’s official account insisted Święczkowski remained in office.
Tusk addressed the nation on Saturday, denouncing the scenes as “scandalous” and vowing the rule of law would prevail. He accused PiS and Nawrocki of undermining judicial independence, while the opposition called the government’s actions a coup. Tusk said the Sejm had legally elected new judges, but Nawrocki refused to receive their oaths.
Protests by PiS supporters erupted outside the court, with some breaching barriers and throwing objects at police, who detained at least three people. Nawrocki’s intervention came as the tribunal’s leadership disputed the legitimacy of judges appointed by Tusk’s parliamentary majority.
The European Commission urged Nawrocki to accept the new judges, saying their election fell under the Sejm’s constitutional authority. Tusk pledged to ensure the tribunal’s independence and security, while Nawrocki held crisis talks with nationalist and far-right parties, excluding Tusk’s Civic Coalition.
Korwin-Piotrowska’s suspension of Święczkowski cited his blocking of newly elected judges and alleged manipulation of judicial panels. The tribunal’s general assembly is scheduled for 3 November to consider disciplinary measures against Święczkowski and his deputy.
