Polish President Nawrocki convenes parties over court crisis — Der Spiegel
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has convened urgent consultations with all parties represented in parliament amid an escalation of the conflict surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. He said he seeks to stabilize the political situation and restore constitutional order, and also voiced concern about the country’s internal security. According to Der Spiegel, the president made the statement after a nighttime visit to the court building.
Before that, according to the publication, Nawrocki used physical force to enter the building and hold consultations with judges. He also addressed demonstrators who had spent several hours outside the building, which was surrounded by police. The president demanded the restoration of legal order and the withdrawal from the court premises of security forces deployed by the government.
Justice minister’s reaction
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek described the president’s behavior as alarming and unacceptable. In an interview with TVN 24, he said that a person protected by presidential immunity should not behave in such a manner. In the minister’s view, Nawrocki used the situation to intensify emotions in the streets.
The crisis was triggered by a message on the Constitutional Tribunal’s website claiming that the court’s president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy had been temporarily removed from their duties. According to the message, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska was to become acting president. Shortly afterward, the Constitutional Tribunal’s account on X denied the information and stated that the website had been hacked.
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Confrontation over the court
Święczkowski, who was appointed during the rule of the Law and Justice party, called the events a “coup d’état.” He said that the court consists of lawfully appointed judges, not “usurpers” who entered the building through the back entrance accompanied by government security forces.
PiS, which governed Poland in 2015–2023, appointed judges politically close to it to the Constitutional Tribunal. The European Court previously concluded that, due to serious flaws in the procedure for appointing judges and the then president, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal could not be regarded as independent and impartial.
After the 2023 parliamentary elections, Donald Tusk’s government announced its intention to reverse the disputed changes to the judicial system introduced by the previous authorities. Nawrocki, who is close to PiS, had previously refused to swear in five Constitutional Tribunal judges nominated by parliament. According to the president’s spokesperson, Nawrocki’s talks with representatives of parliamentary factions have already begun at the presidential palace.
Amid the escalation, two ambassadors close to PiS announced their resignations: Poland’s ambassador to Romania, Paweł Soloch, and its ambassador to China, Jakub Kumoch. At the same time, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa expressed support for Tusk.
