Poland's fight over its constitutional judges boils over as the court's president is sidelined and Nawrocki cuts short a trip
A judge appointed under the Tusk government suspended court president Swieczkowski; the court calls it a coup and the president went to the building himself overnight.
In Warsaw, the long-running battle over the Constitutional Tribunal turned into an acute crisis on Friday. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of the judges appointed under the current government, announced that the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, had been suspended, VRT NWS reports. The court itself denied this on its official X account and spoke of a coup. In its view, Korwin-Piotrowska cannot stand in for the president because she never took her oath before the head of state, La Libre writes, citing news agency AFP. The court's website was unreachable on Friday evening.
Around the building, dozens of riot police held back supporters of the opposition party PiS, who have been demonstrating for weeks in support of the judges their party appointed. According to HLN, police arrested three people who tried to force their way onto the premises. La DH reports that protesters forced the gates but could not get past the officers. Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the operation on X, saying restoring the rule of law requires determined action. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek is seeking to have the immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy lifted, La DH adds.
President Karol Nawrocki, who is politically close to PiS, turned back over Spain while on his way to an official visit to Senegal. After meeting the first president of the Supreme Court, he went to the tribunal during the night, where according to La DH he pushed his way through a cordon of officers with shields and helmets amid chaotic scenes. His chief of staff confirmed on X that the president was inside, La Libre reports. De Morgen reports a physical confrontation between the president and judges, after which police intervened.
The conflict dates back to the PiS government, which critics say filled the court with loyal judges between 2015 and 2023; the European Union repeatedly criticised the institution for being too dependent on politics. Since returning to power in 2023, Tusk has promised to fix the situation, but Nawrocki is blocking the appointment of new judges: earlier this year he refused to swear in four of the six new judges, VRT NWS recalls.