Polish President Rushes Home as Constitutional Tribunal Crisis Exposes Deepening Right-Wing Power Struggle
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President Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal and returned to Poland after police moved into the Constitutional Tribunal, where suspended president Bogdan Święczkowski became the center of a tense confrontation, triggering protests and intensifying political turmoil.
President Karol Nawrocki abruptly aborted a scheduled visit to Senegal and flew back to Poland after police entered the Constitutional Tribunal and suspended its president, Bogdan Święczkowski. The president posted on X that he felt compelled to remain in the country at that moment.
Police reported that dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the tribunal, some throwing objects at officers and others holding signs accusing Prime Minister Donald Tusk of anti-Polish sentiment and calling for an end to perceived governmental overreach. Several protesters were also seen praying at the site.
The Constitutional Tribunal has become a flashpoint in the struggle between Tusk's pro-European government and the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which previously led the country. PiS critics allege the party tried to lock down political control over the judiciary, helping fuel EU fines and undermining democratic safeguards.
"Restoring the rule of law is our duty," Tusk wrote on X, adding that the process of reform can be "difficult" and "painful" but necessary.
Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, now leading the Rozwój Plus coalition, condemned what he described as a "forceful takeover" of the tribunal and warned against violent methods. Former PiS Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro also labeled the events a "coup d’état" and called for resistance.
The dispute follows Nawrocki's refusal to swear in three of six judges nominated by parliament earlier this year, a move that has deepened tensions between the presidency and the current government.