Poland's Constitutional Crisis Deepens as President Calls Emergency Talks Over Suspended Court Chief
Written by AI from aljazeera.com's report. Not checked by a person.
Poland's political standoff over its Constitutional Tribunal intensified after the government suspended chief judge Bogdan Swieczkowski on Friday, prompting President Karol Nawrocki to convene urgent consultations at the presidential palace on Saturday.
Poland's constitutional crisis escalated after Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government suspended Bogdan Swieczkowski, chief judge of the Constitutional Tribunal, on Friday, arguing that his removal was necessary to restore the rule of law after years of erosion under the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Swieczkowski, appointed by PiS during its 2015–2023 government, was accused of using his position to prevent parliament from seating new judges.
President Karol Nawrocki responded by calling "urgent" consultations at the presidential palace on Saturday, warning the suspension posed a "threat to Poland's internal security." Representatives of nationalist, far-right, and some governing coalition parties attended, but Tusk's own centrist Civic Coalition stayed away. No breakthrough had emerged by Saturday afternoon.
Speaking that evening, Tusk accused conservative nationalist opposition figures of wanting to "destroy democracy and rule of law," describing Swieczkowski's removal as a "painful" but unavoidable step. The court's official X account had already labelled the government's action a "coup d'etat," and PiS supporters continued weeks of protests outside the Tribunal building in support of the party's court-aligned judges.
A central concern for Tusk's pro-European coalition has been that PiS-aligned judges repeatedly favoured Polish legislation over EU law. Nawrocki, himself a right-wing figure, has also blocked new judicial nominations under his administration.
The crisis drew international reaction: the European Commission urged Nawrocki to accept the appointment of new judges, while US Ambassador Tom Rose called for restraint on all sides, warning that "the last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse."
