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Poland's President Nawrocki cuts short Senegal trip as court crisis escalates

newsOct 31, 202658539

Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki cut short a state visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw after a group of government-appointed judges suspended Constitutional Tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy Bartłomiej Sochański, prompting police to enter the court. Riot police faced protesters outside the tribunal and authorities said three people were detained after some demonstrators breached the fence and threw objects at officers. Shortly before 1am on Saturday Nawrocki appeared outside the court, forced his way past a police cordon and other judges to gain entry, and remained inside as of 4am. In a clip posted online Nawrocki said the government appointees "were not judges of the constitutional court" and at 5am a statement read on his behalf called the events "a violation of Poland's constitutional order" and demanded security forces leave. The suspension and the president’s intervention deepen a decade-long dispute over the tribunal’s legitimacy that dates to disputed appointments since 2015 and is likely to sharpen tensions ahead of next year’s parliamentary election. The standoff pits Nawrocki and rightwing figures including Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński against Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government, which refuses to recognise the court in its current form.

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