Political crisis deepens in Poland as Constitutional Tribunal leadership is suspended and president speaks of a coup

Poland's political crisis has deepened after judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, the country's top constitutional court, suspended the powers of the tribunal's president, Bogdan Sweńczkowski, and its vice president, Bartłomiej Sochański, for one month. Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the step restores the rule of law in the country. President Karol Nawrocki and the opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) describe the developments as a coup. Protests have broken out in the country since.

Why the tribunal matters

The Constitutional Tribunal plays an exceptionally important role in confirming decisions made by the government. Information about the suspension of Sweńczkowski was published on Friday on the court's website, which soon afterwards became unavailable.

Background

Sweńczkowski became head of the tribunal under the PiS government. Tusk has accused him of obstructing judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts. In August, speaking about the tribunal's future, Tusk said the government had a plan to ensure that lawfully appointed judges would again work in the court.

PiS was in power in Poland from 2015 to 2023. Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse the party of imposing political control on key judicial institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal. Tusk's government took office in 2023, promising to restore judicial independence, but presidents who support PiS, Nawrocki among them, have blocked these efforts.

It was previously reported that people protested in Warsaw outside the Constitutional Tribunal against the government's decision to remove the head of the top court.