The President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, entered the Constitutional Court in Warsaw early Saturday morning. His action came amid ongoing tensions between the President and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, fueling a judicial crisis in the country.
Confrontation at the Court Entrance
A video released in the early hours shows Nawrocki passing through a crowd at the court entrance. Among the crowd was Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, a judge whose nomination as the interim head of the court has created tensions due to disputes.
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Maciej Bryk, one of the court judges, accused Nawrocki of physical confrontation with Korwin-Piotrowska. On the other hand, Rafał Leskiwicz, the President's assistant, accused the judges of obstruction and inappropriate behavior, calling them "usurpers."
Challenge Between Nawrocki and Tusk
Inside the court, Nawrocki told Korwin-Piotrowska and other judges appointed by Tusk: "You are not judges [of the court]." This confrontation reflects the intensifying struggle between Nawrocki and Tusk's government over judicial changes made during the previous rule of the nationalist party, Law and Justice (PiS).
Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the court's head, Bogdan Świeczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Suchański, both appointed by PiS, claiming she has the necessary authority to manage the court. Świeczkowski rejected this action.
In a statement released around 5 AM, Nawrocki accused the government of "forcibly seizing a legal entity" and called for the police to withdraw from the court area. He also summoned emergency consultations with parliamentary parties for Saturday, referring to a "threat to Poland's internal security."
The police remain outside the court, where PiS supporters have set up an anti-government protest camp for weeks. This deeper conflict relates to Tusk's efforts to reverse controversial changes to the court judges made during the previous PiS rule. Tusk has faced strong resistance from PiS and Nawrocki, who has refused to swear in some judges selected by the parliamentary majority led by Tusk.
After this action, the judges took their oaths in parliament, a ceremony that Nawrocki considers invalid, while Świeczkowski has barred them from handling cases.
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