Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Dispute Escalates as President Nawrocki Returns From Senegal

Polish President Karol Nawrocki turned his aircraft around while en route to Senegal on 30 October 2026 after the Constitutional Tribunal announced that its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and assumed temporary leadership. Nawrocki, an ally of the previous Law and Justice government, said the president must be in Poland at such a moment. He arrived in Warsaw and later entered the tribunal building during the night.

The suspension followed months of friction. Nawrocki has refused to swear in several judges elected by the current parliamentary majority led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Święczkowski, an appointee of the previous administration, has declined to seat those judges. Korwin-Piotrowska’s order placed Święczkowski and his deputy on a one-month break in official duties. Both rejected the move. Protesters gathered outside the building under a heavy police presence. Right-wing politicians accused the government of staging a coup; Tusk’s side described the action as necessary to restore the rule of law.

The dispute dates to 2015, when Law and Justice sought to fill seats already occupied under the previous government. European courts later found that the tribunal no longer met standards of independence and impartiality because of defects in appointments. After Tusk’s coalition took office in 2023 it pledged to reverse those changes. Nawrocki’s election as president in 2025 gave the nationalist side a veto over legislation and control over the swearing-in of judges.

On 31 October Tusk stated that the tribunal would function according to the constitution and independently of him. He said restoring the rule of law requires decisive action and that there can be no compromise on certain matters. Nawrocki called the events a forcible takeover of a constitutional institution and demanded that security forces leave the premises. He summoned consultations with parliamentary parties. The European Commission has said it is monitoring the situation closely.

The tribunal has 15 judges elected by the Sejm. Control of its presidency and the ability of newly elected judges to sit and hear cases remain contested. No final court ruling has settled the competing claims of authority. The immediate practical effect is further paralysis of an institution already largely unable to function as an independent constitutional court.