On Friday, police secured Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal as numerous protesters assembled to oppose what they view as the current pro-European government’s unjust suspension of the court’s president. Authorities reported the detention of three individuals after some demonstrators breached the tribunal’s fence and others threw objects at law enforcement officers.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, en route to Senegal at the time, decided to return to Poland in response to the unfolding situation. After returning to Poland, the nationalist-conservative Nawrocki went to the Constitutional Tribunal and helped the suspended court president enter the building. He later stated that a “breach of Poland’s constitutional order” had occurred and called an urgent meeting with parliamentary group heads to discuss stabilising the political situation.
The Constitutional Tribunal and other top judicial bodies in Poland have become significant points of contention between the pro-European government and the principal opposition party, the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS). Critics in Poland and across the European Union have accused PiS—which governed from 2015 to 2023—of exerting political control over key judicial institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal, leading the EU to impose fines.
The newly elected pro-European government of Donald Tusk took office in 2023, committed to restoring judicial independence. However, its efforts have encountered obstacles due to vetoes from two successive presidents aligned with PiS, including President Nawrocki.
The court published the announcement of the suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski on its website at about 6 p.m. local time. After the publication, the website went down, preventing independent verification of the official reasons for his suspension. Święczkowski was appointed to lead the Tribunal under the PiS administration, and Tusk has accused him of impeding judges elected by the parliamentary majority from fulfilling their roles at the tribunal.
Prime Minister Tusk stated on X in the evening, “Restoring the rule of law is our obligation. After years of lawlessness under PiS, this process is difficult. It can be challenging and requires decisive action. There is no other way.”
During a discussion on the future of the Constitutional Tribunal at Campus Polska in August, Tusk outlined his government’s plan to ensure the tribunal is staffed with lawfully appointed judges, acknowledging that his approach may not be universally accepted.
Members of the PiS party, currently the largest opposition force, have criticised Święczkowski’s suspension. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro remarked on X, “This is a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order. That is why I call for resistance that will be loud, firm, solidary, and fearless.”
This article used information from The Associated Press.
