Newsletters
Poland's constitutional crisis deepened over the weekend as Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused President Karol Nawrocki and the conservative opposition of undermining the rule of law, while the European Commission backed parliament's authority to appoint judges to the country's Constitutional Tribunal.
The confrontation erupted Friday after an announcement appeared on the tribunal's website suspending its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and Vice President Bartlomiej Sochanski, triggering protests, police intervention and competing claims over who legally controls the court.
Speaking to Euronews, an unnamed European Commission spokesperson said Brussels was closely monitoring the dispute between Nawrocki and Tusk's government.
The spokesperson emphasized that Polish authorities were responsible for ensuring the tribunal operated in accordance with the country's constitution and relevant rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The Commission also pointed to the authority of the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, to appoint new judges, citing a May 5 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights calling on Polish authorities to allow judges appointed in March to take office.
In a televised address Saturday evening, Tusk defended the judges seeking to assume control of the tribunal and accused the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party and Nawrocki of attempting to undermine Poland's constitutional order.
“The attack on the Constitutional Tribunal and its judges is another stage in the process of destroying the rule of law in Poland by the PiS,” Tusk said, also blaming Nawrocki and former President Andrzej Duda.
He maintained that parliament had lawfully appointed new judges after the terms of earlier members selected during PiS rule from 2015 to 2023 had expired.
However, Nawrocki refused earlier this year to formally receive the oaths of some of the newly appointed judges, leaving their status disputed.
Tusk insisted that the judges had been lawfully elected and accused the president and opposition of preventing them from taking office.
“Legally elected members of the tribunal were attacked, and the police at the scene protected the tribunal from the attackers,” he said.
He added that public order could not be restored by “giving way to lawlessness and violence,” arguing that a democratic state “must be strong and capable of enforcing justice.”
Nawrocki rejected that account, saying Poland's constitutional order had been violated and describing Friday's events as a “forcible takeover of a constitutional state body.”
The immediate crisis began around 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) Friday when an order appeared on the Constitutional Tribunal's website announcing the suspension of Swieczkowski and Sochanski.
Following the announcement, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, the tribunal's most senior judge, claimed responsibility for administering the court.
However, the tribunal's X account, which remained under the control of its previous leadership, disputed the announcement, claiming the website had been unlawfully seized.
The account maintained that Swieczkowski and Sochanski remained in office and accused those behind the changes of carrying out a “coup.”
The dispute prompted demonstrations outside the tribunal building, with protesters joined by PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska.
Police established a security cordon around the building after Korwin-Piotrowska warned of threats to judges and court employees, along with possible public disorder.
Authorities said three people were detained after some demonstrators climbed over the tribunal's fences and others threw objects at police officers.
The police cordon remained in place as the confrontation continued.
Nawrocki, who had been traveling to Senegal, abruptly canceled his journey and returned to Poland after learning of the developments.
His aircraft turned back over Spain, with more than 1 million people following the return flight on tracking platform Flightradar24.
After arriving in Warsaw late Friday, the president met Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kapinski before visiting the Constitutional Tribunal shortly before 1 a.m. (0000 GMT) Saturday.
A confrontation followed when Nawrocki attempted to enter the court and challenged Korwin-Piotrowska and other judges whose appointments he disputes.
Video footage from inside the tribunal showed the president telling them: “You are not judges of the Constitutional Tribunal.”
Nawrocki remained at the building until early morning and later described the situation as a threat to Poland's internal security.
He called emergency consultations with parliamentary groups Saturday “to stabilize the political situation and restore constitutional order.”
The dispute also reached Poland's diplomatic corps, with ambassadors Jakub Kumoch in Beijing and Pawel Soloch in Bucharest resigning in protest over the crisis.
The political confrontation intensified Saturday as PiS moved to challenge Tusk's government in parliament.
Former Prime Minister Morawiecki announced plans to submit a constructive vote of no confidence and proposed installing a former parliamentary speaker to lead a technical government until elections.
The dispute reflects a longstanding struggle over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal and the legitimacy of judicial appointments made under successive governments.
During its eight years in power, PiS introduced changes to the court that drew criticism from European institutions over judicial independence.
The latest standoff has brought those disagreements into direct confrontation between the presidency, parliament, and competing groups of judges, leaving the tribunal's leadership and functioning disputed.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
