Polish PM suspends Constitutional Tribunal chief amid standoff with president

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Friday that he has suspended Bogdan Swieczkowski, the president of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal. The move ended a weeks-long standoff between Tusk's government and President Karol Nawrocki, a political ally of the opposition Law and Justice party. The dispute centers on the composition of the court, which has been a flashpoint between pro-European and nationalist factions since 2015.

Tusk framed the suspension as a necessary step to restore legal order. In a post on X, he stated that restoring the rule of law is an obligation and that the process is difficult but requires decisive action. He described the period under Law and Justice rule as one of lawlessness. On Saturday night, Tusk gave a televised speech in which he compared the opposition party to a thief who claims to be the victim when police recover a stolen purse.

President Nawrocki reacted quickly to the suspension. He interrupted a flight to Senegal and returned to Warsaw to visit the tribunal early on Saturday. In a statement read by an aide outside the court, Nawrocki called the event a breach of public order and a forcible takeover of a constitutional body. He was met by several hundred protesters who gathered outside the headquarters.

The conflict has roots in the judicial reforms implemented by Law and Justice after winning the election in 2015. That party canceled appointments made by the previous government and installed its own judges. The European Union's top court ruled in December 2025 that the tribunal lacked independence and impartiality. As a result, the EU withheld billions of euros in funds from Poland during the period from 2015 to 2023.

Tensions flared this weekend as protesters gathered outside the tribunal on Friday and Saturday nights. Police, who have guarded the court since Friday afternoon, detained three individuals on Friday night. The detainees allegedly threw objects at officers and attempted to break through the security fence. Protesters called for the reinstatement of Swieczkowski and accused the government of executing a coup.

A general assembly of the tribunal's judges is scheduled for Tuesday. The court requires a quorum of 10 out of its 15 judges to make decisions. Representatives from Tusk's coalition partners, including Poland 2050 and the Polish People's Party, met with Nawrocki on Saturday. Tusk did not attend that meeting. The next parliamentary election is scheduled for next year, one year from now.

Tusk's coalition consists of the Civic Coalition, the Left, Poland 2050, and the Polish People's Party. Nawrocki's camp aims to use the crisis to erode the government's parliamentary majority. The outcome of the current standoff will influence the political landscape ahead of the 2027 election.