Polish President Karol Nawrocki interrupted a flight to Senegal on Oct. 30 and returned to Warsaw after police were deployed at the Constitutional Tribunal during a dispute over its leadership.
“At such a moment, the president must be in Poland,” Nawrocki wrote on X.
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska issued orders suspending tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, accusing them of obstructing the work of judges elected by parliament.
A statement on the tribunal’s X account rejected the orders and said both men remained in office.
Police said officers were on the tribunal grounds but had not entered the building. They said they acted following requests from the justice minister and Korwin-Piotrowska concerning possible threats to judges and staff and risks to public order.
Politicians from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government of attempting a coup against the court.
“Restoring the rule of law is our duty,” Tusk wrote on X, saying decisive action was necessary.
In an Oct. 31 statement, Nawrocki called for police to leave the tribunal grounds and summoned urgent consultations with parliamentary representatives.
He alleged that the overnight events had violated Poland’s constitutional order.
Tusk’s pro-European government and Nawrocki, who was backed by PiS, have repeatedly clashed over judicial appointments.
The government says it is seeking to reverse the politicization of the judiciary under the previous PiS administration.
