WARSAW — A late-night confrontation at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal Friday prompted President Karol Nawrocki to divert his plane back to Warsaw from a trip to Senegal, reigniting a bitter debate over the rule of law in the country facing parliamentary elections within a year.
The dispute centers on the tribunal's suspension of its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government describes the suspensions as necessary to restore judicial independence, while critics denounce them as an unconstitutional power grab.
The confrontation drew riot police and protesters outside the court complex, where three people were detained after some demonstrators clashed with officers. The crisis triggered the resignation of at least three Polish ambassadors in protest, including the envoys to China and Romania and the United Nations permanent representative Krzysztof Szczerski.
European institutions have largely backed Poland's parliament's authority to appoint judges. The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, ruled last month that the new judges had the constitutional right to take up their positions with or without the president's endorsement. European Commissioner Michael McGrath reaffirmed on Sunday that selecting new judges lies within the powers of Poland's parliament.
President Nawrocki accuses the Tusk government of overstepping constitutional limits. Tusk, defending his actions, said the solution was simple: the president must recognize judges legally elected by parliament, as the Constitution stipulates. He accused Nawrocki of choosing forceful confrontation that could cost Poland dearly.
"A democratic state under the rule of law cannot yield to violence," Tusk said on Monday.
The divide has drawn international reactions. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose posted on social media that America is on Poland's side and urged restraint for the stability, security and democratic future of the ally. French opposition leader Marine Le Pen accused Brussels of applying a double standard, saying one cannot claim to defend democracy while remaining silent when a member state's constitutional balance is gravely threatened.
Parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled within a year. The confrontation reflects deep institutional tensions between the government, presidency and constitutional court that have persisted for more than a decade, with parliament continuing to appoint judges under the constitution while several appointments have been blocked from taking office.
