Key facts
- President Karol Nawrocki accused the government of staging a forced takeover of the Constitutional Tribunal.
- Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski and took charge, per a tribunal website statement.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the court would function independently and in line with the constitution.
- The European Commission said Polish authorities must ensure the tribunal functions in accordance with EU law.
- Economists at PKO BP said a prolonged dispute could raise institutional risks and weigh on creditworthiness assessments.
Poland's simmering conflict between nationalist President Karol Nawrocki and the pro-European government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk moved into open confrontation after a crisis over the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Tribunal, Reuters reported. Tensions came to a head last week when the tribunal's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was suspended and crowds gathered outside the court in support of him.
The dispute dates back to 2015, when the then-ruling Law and Justice party sought to appoint tribunal judges to seats already filled by the previous government. After Tusk's coalition took office in 2023, it pledged to restore the rule of law and reform the court, but Nawrocki, a Law and Justice ally elected president in 2025, has blocked some of those efforts. Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to swear in several judges nominated by the parliamentary majority, while Swieczkowski denied the new judges access to the court.
While heading to Africa on an official visit last Friday, Nawrocki decided to reverse course and fly home after a statement appeared on the tribunal's website saying its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended Swieczkowski and had taken charge. Police have been guarding the court since Friday afternoon, while several hundred protesters have demanded Swieczkowski's reinstatement. Nawrocki met senior judges overnight and political leaders on Saturday, accusing the government of staging a forced takeover. Tusk said in a televised address on Saturday that the court would now function independently and in line with Poland's constitution.
A general assembly of tribunal judges chaired by Korwin-Piotrowska is scheduled for Tuesday, but its ability to make decisions will depend on securing a quorum of 10 of the court's 15 judges. The events took place a year before Poland's next parliamentary election, when Tusk's coalition will face several hard-right parties who support the president's position. Political scientist Anna Materska-Sosnowska from Warsaw University said: "It's not a conflict about the tribunal, everything is at stake."
The European Commission said on Saturday it was monitoring developments and that Polish authorities must ensure the tribunal can function in accordance with the constitution and EU law. The EU withheld billions of euros in funds to Poland during the PiS-led governments of 2015 to 2023, saying their judiciary reforms had subverted democratic checks and balances. Relations with the Tusk administration have been smoother and the flow of funds resumed. Economists at Polish bank PKO BP said in a report on Monday that a prolonged dispute could raise institutional risks and weigh on assessments of Poland's creditworthiness.