Prime Minister Tusk criticizes President Nawrocki over court incident — Der Spiegel
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sharply criticized President Karol Nawrocki following his visit to the Constitutional Tribunal building, around which supporters of the right-conservative opposition were protesting. In a televised address, Tusk said that in a state governed by the rule of law, it is not “muscles and brazenness” that determine who is right.
Dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal
As Der Spiegel reports, a Constitutional Tribunal judge published a video on social media showing Nawrocki, a former amateur boxer, forcing his way into the court building. The footage also shows the president pushing the judge down.
Tusk said that in a state governed by the rule of law, a judge should not have to yield to an “aggressive attacker.” According to him, a politician also should not enter court premises to issue instructions or intimidate judges.
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Leadership change and protests
The confrontation between the two major political camps over the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal intensified after a notice appeared on the institution’s website. It stated that the court’s president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy had been temporarily removed from performing their duties.
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska was to temporarily head the institution. After that, supporters of the right-conservative opposition party Law and Justice and other right-wing groups began protesting against the removal of the court’s president.
Tusk called the attack on the Constitutional Tribunal and its judges, in his assessment, another step in the destruction of the rule of law by the PiS party, which was in power until 2023, as well as the presidents it nominated, Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki. The head of government expressed confidence that the Constitutional Tribunal would soon function properly again and that the government would provide it with security and the necessary conditions for work.
