A political conflict surrounding Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has escalated in Warsaw. Law enforcement officers have cordoned off and blocked the institution's building, while its leadership has been suspended from duties. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the Polish agency PAP and Polsat News. The events are unfolding against the backdrop of a prolonged standoff between the government and the president over control of the judiciary.
Cordoning of the Building and Police Version
According to sources, police established a cordon around the Constitutional Tribunal building and blocked access to it. Law enforcement explained their actions by security considerations: according to their information, there is a potential threat to the life or health of the judges and employees of the institution. This exact reason was named as the official basis for the measures near the courthouse.
Suspension of Leadership and Tribunal Statements
According to an official statement on the tribunal's website, the longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Petrowska, decided to suspend the official duties of President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy Bartłomiej Sochański for a period of one month. The reason was that, according to the initiators, the court leadership blocked the convocation of the General Assembly with the participation of all judges elected by the Sejm. Simultaneously, a statement appeared on the tribunal's page on network X claiming that the institution's website had allegedly been seized and that President Bogdan Święczkowski continues to perform his duties.
Legal Pressure and Presidential Reaction
Amid the escalation, Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek submitted five requests to the tribunal to strip parliamentary immunity, including regarding Święczkowski himself and his deputy. Due to the rapid escalation of the conflict, Polish President Karol Nawrocki urgently cut short his visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw.
Context: Tusk and Nawrocki Standoff
A prolonged standoff continues in Poland between Donald Tusk's government and the president over control of the judicial system. After coming to power, the prime minister attempted to change the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal, believing that the former authorities had turned it into a politically dependent body. Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to swear in three of the six judges nominated by parliament, while Święczkowski, in turn, refused to allow judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to assume their duties.
Politicians' Assessments
A number of politicians have already called the events surrounding the tribunal an attempted coup d'état. Thus, the cordoning of the building, the suspension of the leadership, and the package of immunity-stripping requests form a picture of a multi-vector crisis in which a legal dispute has intertwined with the political confrontation between the government and the presidential institution.
