Tusk defends police presence at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has publicly explained why police arrived at the Constitutional Tribunal building. According to him, the ruling coalition is correcting the lawlessness accumulated over the years under previous governments. The trigger for the intervention was an attempt by some of the judges to remove the sitting president of the tribunal and his deputy, Polish media report.

What Tusk said

On the social network X, the head of the government wrote that restoring the rule of law is “our obligatory task.” After years of lawlessness under the Law and Justice party, he stressed, it is a process that is difficult, at times painful and requires decisive action. “There is no other way,” Tusk added.

Criticism was not long in coming. Former Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło posted a video on X condemning Tusk's actions in connection with the incident.

Prosecutor general asks for immunity to be lifted

The prosecutor general has asked for both the president of the tribunal and his deputy to be stripped of their immunity. Some judges insist that both have already been suspended from duty, but other judges flatly reject this version. Polish media assess the situation as still chaotic: the tribunal, which until now has been controlled by judges close to the current opposition, is being targeted for takeover by judges elected by the ruling coalition.

Even before the conflict escalated, it was announced that the powers of tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski had been suspended. The work of the tribunal had been all but paralyzed by a protracted political dispute. President Karol Nawrocki also contributed to the paralysis: this year he refused to appoint three of the six judges nominated by parliament. Święczkowski, for his part, did not allow the parliament-elected judges to take up their duties.

Nawrocki, who is seen as an ally of the conservative opposition, cancelled a trip to Senegal because of the events, and the plane carrying the head of state is returning home.

Earlier on this topic: Police enter Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, Nawrocki cuts trip short: what happened

Around Prague, based on reporting by blesk.cz