MİLLİYET.COM.TR - After the announcement that the President of the Constitutional Court of Poland, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and the Deputy President, Bartlomiej Sochanski, were suspended from their duties, political tension escalated in the country.
Many people, including opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS) Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, gathered in front of the court building.
Three people were detained in the events that took place in front of the court, which was surrounded by police.
President Karol Nawrocki, who cut short his visit to Senegal and returned to his country, had a fight with the judges when he entered the Constitutional Court building.
The parties blamed each other for the physical intervention that occurred during Nawrocki's attempt to enter the court building.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in his statement regarding the developments, argued that decisive steps should be taken to re-establish the rule of law.
While the management of the Constitutional Court passed to the most senior judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, Poland's Ambassador to Beijing Jakub Kumoch and Bucharest Ambassador Pawel Soloch resigned following the events.
US Ambassador to Warsaw Tom Rose called for the political tension in the country not to turn into violence.
The long-standing dispute over judicial appointments between the government and the opposition in Poland has brought the work of the Constitutional Court to a virtual halt.
Former Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles Gülru Gezer and Kırıkkale University Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Merve Suna Özel Özcan evaluated the latest developments to Milliyet.com.tr Publishing Coordinator Sercan Dinç.
A TOTAL MANAGEMENT CRISIS
What does it mean that the President and Vice-President of the Constitutional Court in Poland are suspended from their duties?
Gülru Gezer: The blockade of the Constitutional Court in Poland and the removal of the President and Vice President from their duties show that the political and legal crisis that has been going on for a while between the current pro-Western coalition government led by Donald Tusk and the judiciary and President Karol Nawrocki, who is close to the line of the former ruling party PiS, which is currently in opposition, has now turned into an all-out management crisis.
Assoc. Dr. Merve Suna Özel Özcan: I do not see what happened today in Poland as just the suspension of a court president. There is a broader issue here: There is a long-standing conflict between the European Union's rule of law approach and the constitutional legitimacy and sovereignty understandings of political actors in Poland. Therefore, the developments in Poland show that Europe is facing important challenges not only in the economic and security fields, but also in terms of the legitimacy of constitutional institutions. The foundations of the crisis lie in the controversial appointments of judges made during the rule of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in 2015. This process was not limited to Poland's domestic politics and turned into a conflict with the European Union on the axis of national sovereignty and the rule of law.
So why has this crisis, which has been going on for a decade, become so severe now? Because the attempts of the Donald Tusk government, which took office in 2023, to restructure the judiciary were met with resistance from President Karol Nawrocki. In particular, it can be said that the parliament's election of new judges to the Constitutional Court as of March 2026, the President's refusal to accept the oath of some judges and the current court administration's failure to appoint these names have brought the crisis to a new stage.
In Italy, a general strike was held to protest the high cost of living, armament and wars. While thousands of people descended on the squares in Rome, Milan, Genoa, Turin and Bologna, clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in some cities.
THERE ARE THREE IMPORTANT STRATEGIC GAIN POSSIBILITIES FOR RUSSIA
Is Russia the external actor that can benefit most strategically from this crisis in Poland?
G. Gezer: Poland has been among the countries that have supported Kiev the most since the beginning of the Ukrainian war. At the same time, it stands out with its strict attitude towards Russia in Europe, along with the Baltic Countries. Poland is also the West's and NATO's most critical logistics base in Eastern Europe, the main supply gate and a central location in terms of support to Ukraine. 80% of military aid going to Ukraine passes through Poland. A large portion of humanitarian aid is also delivered to Ukraine via Poland. Considered in this context, the possibility of Poland being dragged into instability is likely to have effects on the Ukrainian war. Naturally, this is a development that could be to Russia's advantage.
M. Özcan: Let's focus on one issue in particular here. When we evaluate the crisis in Poland from Russia's perspective, we should not see the issue only as an internal political dispute. Because Poland is a country of strategic importance in terms of containing Russia on NATO's eastern flank and providing military and logistical support to Ukraine. Therefore, the deepening political polarization over constitutional institutions in Warsaw may also affect Europe's common security policies and decision-making processes. However, let me quickly add that there are three important strategic gain possibilities for Russia. The first is that the European Union's discourse on the rule of law and institutional integrity has begun to be questioned within itself. Secondly, the political tension in Poland may complicate the sustainability of support for Ukraine and coordination within NATO. Thirdly, Moscow can turn these developments into a discourse tool to make the political and institutional contradictions of the West visible. As a matter of fact, there is a possibility that the capacity to act jointly may weaken in a period where this is the case. Because in today's power struggle, it is necessary to take into account not only the military capacity of the opponent, but also his political integrity and decision-making ability.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE MOST POSSIBLE RESULT OF THIS CRISIS?
G. Gezer: If the government and the opposition do not step back from their current stance, it is highly likely that the political crisis will not be resolved in the parliamentary environment and will give rise to the possibility of early elections or social street demonstrations will deepen. Poland is an important country not only in the context of the Ukrainian war, but also for the EU and NATO. It is clear that Poland's descent into instability or uncertainty will have an impact beyond the country's borders.
IT ALSO INCREASES POLITICAL POLARIZATION
How do you evaluate the street demonstrations and political tensions in different countries of Europe?
G. Gezer: Increasing economic difficulties, inflation, energy crises, heavy costs brought about by the Ukrainian war and migration waves throughout Europe, especially in France, are a manifestation of the public's reaction to the current political elites and the Brussels bureaucracy. Current administrations are inadequate to meet the demands of the people, which brings about the rise of far-right and left-wing politicians and parties. Europe's problems are not new, they are structural. For this reason, it is not possible to solve the problems from today to tomorrow. Wars caused these problems to be felt by all segments of society and increased reactions. However, naturally, the destabilization of Europe and the populist parties' rhetoric about ending support for Ukraine benefit Russia the most.
M. Özcan: I evaluate the developments in Europe not as the domestic political problems of individual countries, but as the economic, social and security-based pressures accumulated across the continent becoming visible in different ways. We see that the model that Europe has built on economic prosperity, social state and political stability for many years is increasingly being tested. Increasing energy costs, cost of living, defense expenditures and global competition, especially after the Russia-Ukraine War, lead European states to make new choices between security and social welfare. Beyond economic problems, this situation also deepens the crisis of political representation. The difficulty of traditional center parties in meeting social expectations makes street movements more visible and increases political polarization. Of course, the dynamics of developments in France, Germany and Poland are different from each other. What they have in common, however, is that economic security, political representation and institutional legitimacy are increasingly questioned in European societies. Therefore, I evaluate not only the reactions against governments in Europe today, but also a process in which the balance between welfare, security and social reconciliation on which European integration is based is reshaped.
More than a thousand people were injured and more than 3 thousand workplaces were damaged or looted during the Yellow Vest protest in France, which included occasional violent incidents. The government tightened security measures, including partial curfews, in response to the protests.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT TURKEY TAKES NECESSARY MEASURES
How might political and economic developments in Europe affect Türkiye's trade, security and relations with the European Union?
G. Gezer: Europe is Turkey's primary trading partner. The negative effects of excluding Turkey from measures that the EU has taken/may take, such as Made in Europe, are obvious. The developments in Europe do not directly affect Turkey's security at this stage, but the emergence of some deep cracks in European solidarity as far-right and left-wing parties come to power in the coming period is a situation that can be exploited by third parties. Therefore, it is important for Turkey to closely monitor the developments in Europe and take the necessary measures.
On the other hand, Europe must see that it cannot ensure its own security without Türkiye. The important role played by Turkey and the added value it adds in the context of NATO is obvious. It is, above all, in its own interest for the EU to clearly understand this and remove the obstacles to further development of cooperation between the parties. It may be possible for Europe to turn even more inward due to the impact of the crises in the coming period. In its relations with Ankara, the EU has also used its internal problems from time to time as an excuse to slow down Turkey's EU membership process.
On the other hand, while Europe is struggling with its own internal problems and rule of law crises, as in the case of Poland, the validity and persuasiveness of the discourse of lecturing "democracy and human rights" to the outside world is decreasing. Turkey-EU membership negotiations are already frozen and are unlikely to be revived anytime soon, but it is important to continue the dialogue, with progress being made on topics such as the defense industry, visa liberalization, updating the customs union and migration.
