Demonstrators have gathered since Friday evening in front of the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland in Warsaw, accusing the centrist government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk of undermining the constitution and the judiciary. These protests followed a statement from the Constitutional Tribunal announcing that its President, Bohdan Świeczkowski, and his deputy had been suspended for one month.
Suspension of the President of the Constitutional Tribunal
During this time, another judge, Anna Korytowska-Piotrowska, will lead the tribunal. According to Warsaw police, officers responded to a judge who had warned them about potential threats to the safety of judges and staff.
Świeczkowski is one of the judges who was politically appointed by the right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS), which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023. Prime Minister Tusk supported this action in a post on social media platform X, stating: "Restoring the rule of law is our duty."
Political Disputes and Consultations
Tusk further added: "After years of lawlessness under PiS leadership, this process is difficult and sometimes painful and requires decisive action. There is no other way." Following the 2023 parliamentary elections, Tusk's centrist coalition announced that it would reverse the controversial PiS reforms in the judiciary.
In this context, dozens of special police forces were dispatched to the Constitutional Tribunal to confront protests from PiS supporters against Świeczkowski's suspension. The tribunal's official account on social media platform X stated that this action is a political "coup," and some protesters chanted "Tusk the Traitor."
Meanwhile, President Karol Nawrocki began consultations with political representatives. The first to arrive at the presidential palace was Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL), which is part of Tusk's ruling coalition. He stated on social media platform X before the meeting: "National security, respect for democracy, social peace, and public order are fundamental values."
At the center of these disputes is the power struggle between Poland's two major political camps over control of the Constitutional Tribunal. During its rule, the nationalist and right-wing PiS politically appointed judges and changed the composition of the tribunal. Following these changes, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Constitutional Tribunal could not be considered an independent and impartial body due to serious irregularities in the selection of some judges and its former president.
In recent months, President Nawrocki has refused to swear in five judges appointed by his parliament. Instead, these judges took their oath before the parliament, but the President of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bohdan Świeczkowski, has refused to grant them access to the tribunal's building.
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