Polish Constitutional Court dispute escalates, leading to police deployment

President Karol Nawrocki abruptly canceled a planned trip to Senegal. “In such a moment, the president must be in Poland,” Nawrocki wrote on the platform X. Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the need to restore the rule of law.

Earlier, a statement appeared on the Constitutional Court’s website suspending the duties of President Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy for one month, with Justice Anna Korwin-Piotrowska set to lead the court during that period. Shortly after, the court posted on X, claiming the website had been hacked and the information was false.

The turmoil stems from a bitter dispute between the two major political factions concerning the Constitutional Court.

The conservative PiS party, which governed from 2015 to 2023, appointed judges aligned with their political views. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) previously determined that the Polish Constitutional Court could not be considered independent due to serious deficiencies in the appointment of its judges and its former president.

Prime Minister Tusk has pledged to reverse the controversial judicial reforms implemented by the PiS government after his centrist-left coalition took power following the 2023 parliamentary election. However, this process is progressing slowly, partly due to President Nawrocki’s obstruction.

Nawrocki had previously refused to swear in five judges nominated by parliament. These judges subsequently took their oaths before parliament, after which the court president, appointed during the PiS era, denied them access to the building.

Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of the newly nominated judges, stated on TVP that the former president had rendered the court dysfunctional by preventing the new judges from joining. As the senior judge, she has called a session of all Constitutional Court judges for November 3rd.

Tusk, on X, stressed that restoring the rule of law is a commitment for his government, adding that after years of lawlessness under the PiS government, this is a difficult and sometimes painful process that requires decisive action.