Polish President Nawrocki Returns From Senegal After Tribunal Chief Suspended

Polish President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane around en route to Senegal on Friday, October 30, 2026, after police entered the premises of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw and its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was suspended.

Nawrocki posted on X: "At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning." The trip had been planned for meetings with Senegal's president and African Union representatives.

The tribunal announced that its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended Swieczkowski and assumed temporary leadership. Swieczkowski is an appointee of the previous Law and Justice government. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the building late Friday under heavy police presence. Right-wing politicians addressed the crowd, accusing Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government of staging a coup against the court.

Police said officers entered the premises after incidents outside, including the throwing of dangerous objects at officers. The National Police Headquarters cited requests from Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek and from Korwin-Piotrowska, who warned of threats to judges and staff.

This marks a new peak in a dispute that has effectively paralysed the Constitutional Tribunal for years. After Tusk's coalition took office in 2023, it pledged to restore the rule of law and reform the court. Nawrocki, elected president in 2025 as an ally of the former nationalist government, has blocked those efforts. Earlier this year he refused to swear in three of six judges nominated by the current parliament. Swieczkowski, for his part, declined to seat judges elected by the parliamentary majority.

The standoff leaves the tribunal unable to function normally. Cases pile up. Both sides trade accusations of illegality. Tusk's government argues that reforms are necessary to meet European Union standards and reverse earlier changes that concentrated power under Law and Justice. Nawrocki and his allies treat the tribunal's current composition as legitimate and view government moves as political interference.

Protesters on Friday night included former government supporters. Some waved flags and held rosaries on the fence outside the building. Police remained on the grounds but reported they had not entered the main building itself at the time of initial statements.

Nawrocki's decision to return immediately signals that he sees the suspension as a direct challenge to the institutional balance he has defended since taking office. The Senegal visit was part of broader outreach to African partners, yet domestic judicial conflict took priority.

As of Sunday, November 1, the precise legal effect of the suspension remains contested. Korwin-Piotrowska claims authority as the longest-serving judge. Swieczkowski's supporters reject the move. No new hearings have been scheduled. The European Commission has previously criticised Poland's judicial arrangements; this episode adds fresh tension to Warsaw's relations with Brussels at a moment when Poland is preparing for further EU negotiations on rule-of-law benchmarks.

The immediate practical consequence is further delay in constitutional review. Citizens and lower courts waiting for tribunal rulings face continued uncertainty. Both the government and the president's office have indicated they will not yield. The next steps will depend on whether courts, parliament, or the president can force a resolution before the paralysis deepens.