Polish President and Prime Minister Clash Over Control of Constitutional Tribunal
Polish President Karol Nawrocki sharply criticised Prime Minister Donald Tusk on 3 November, accusing him of using the courts to seize power. Tusk says he is acting to preserve the rule of law.
Poland's political crisis over its Constitutional Tribunal deepened on 3 November. Nationalist President Karol Nawrocki publicly accused pro-European Prime Minister Donald Tusk of using the judiciary to grab power. Tusk, whose government leads the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, responded that his actions are needed to safeguard the rule of law, Politico reports.
Roots of the dispute – judicial appointments
Disputes over the justice system stretch back almost a decade. At their centre are politicised appointments of judges to the highest courts by the right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), which was in power until 2023. Tusk's government and the European Commission insist the judiciary must be reorganised to comply with EU standards. On 30 October, the powers of the Constitutional Tribunal's president and deputy president were suspended.
The president's attack
Nawrocki went after Tusk at the opening of a National Security Council meeting attended by the prime minister and other political leaders. Tusk had no chance to reply while the opening was being filmed. Referring to clashes outside the court on 30 October, the president said responsibility for police presence at the building, the suspension of judges and unlawful orders rests on Tusk alone. He demanded that the government's ambitions be reined in and that actions against the tribunal's representatives stop.
Tusk had earlier accused Nawrocki of escalating the conflict and urged him to end attacks on lawfully elected judges. The prime minister also accused Moscow of exploiting Poland's political disorder and urged politicians not to become "useful idiots".
Judges' meeting and the oath
Eight judges elected by the current parliament met on the afternoon of 3 November under Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who took over the tribunal's leadership on 30 October. They declared they were enough to resume work. Nawrocki and right-wing forces do not recognise her authority. The president has also refused to accept the oath of five elected judges; they swore it before parliament instead, and Nawrocki considers it invalid.
Impact on elections
The row deepens political division ahead of parliamentary elections planned for 2027. It is encouraging previously fragmented right-wing nationalist parties to unite against Tusk, while the crisis may help the prime minister consolidate his own voter base.
