The Polish institutional crisis has deepened after the decision to temporarily suspend the President of the Constitutional Court, Bogdan Świeczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochanski. The decision was announced by Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who took over the institution's work as the longest-serving judge.
Police forces were deployed around the tribunal building in Warsaw, and protesters supporting the opposition camp and President Karol Nawrocki gathered in front of it. Polish police said they took action after receiving a report of a possible danger to the lives and health of judges and officials, as well as a risk of public order disruption. According to police, the officers did not enter the building itself.
The President Cuts Off His Visit to Senegal
Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal and returned to Warsaw due to the development of events. After his arrival, he held a meeting at the presidential palace with Bogdan Świnczkowski and the first president of the Supreme Court, Zbigniew Kapinski. The meeting was deemed urgent amid the dispute over who has the right to head the Constitutional Tribunal.
What happened is the latest stage in the long-standing conflict over the Polish judiciary. The dispute began under the rule of the Law and Justice party and continued after Donald Tusk's government came to power. The current majority insists on restoring the rule of law, while the president and right-wing opposition forces claim that the cabinet is trying to control the judicial institutions through political pressure.
Ambassador resignations and sharp political accusations
The Polish ambassador to Romania, Pawel Soloch, announced his resignation, stating that due to the “attempt to illegally take control of the Constitutional Tribunal“ he sees no opportunity to continue performing his duties. Earlier, the Polish ambassador to China, Jakub Kumoch, also resigned. “Onet“ reported on both decisions.
The head of the presidential cabinet, Pawel Szczefnacker, accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of provoking a state crisis in order to concentrate more power. “He is putting Poland's security at risk“, Szczefnacker wrote. According to him, the country “has been and remains a serious country“ and will not turn into a “banana republic“.
The Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Krzysztof Bosak, said that the attempt to remove the tribunal's leadership had failed. He warned that the crisis could last days, weeks or months, and called for actions that would not lead to riots.
The portal “Nezavisima“ reported, citing witnesses, that prosecutor Andrzej Piaseczny had declared his intention to detain the head of the presidential office, Zbigniew Bogucki, for entering the tribunal building. At this point, this statement has not been confirmed by the prosecutor's office or the court and cannot be presented as an actual detention.
The immediate dispute remains without a final institutional solution: one group of judges accepts the removal of the current leadership, while the president and the opposition forces define it as an illegal seizure of the tribunal. Further developments will depend on whether the Polish authorities will find a legal mechanism to recognize one of the two parallel interpretations.
Sources: apnews.com, onet.pl, notesfrompoland.com