Polish President Returns as Tusk Government Escalates Tribunal Seizure Amid Public Outrage
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President Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal and rushed back to Poland after police took control of the Constitutional Tribunal and suspended its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, setting off protests and mounting fury over Prime Minister Donald Tusk's heavy-handed power grab.
President Karol Nawrocki 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 battleground in the conflict 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 sought political control over the judiciary, prompting EU fines.
"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 intensified the standoff between the presidency and the current government.