Tumultuous protests and political power struggle in Poland: "Coup d'état"

Riotous protests outside the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw late last night led to President Karol Nawrocki, who is allied with Poland's former nationalist government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, canceling a flight to Senegal before pushing through a large crowd, a heavy police presence and other security cordons to enter the courthouse himself.

At 05:00 on Saturday morning, a statement from the president was read out by Pawel Szefernaker, who was the head of Nawrocki's election campaign for the 2025 presidential election.

"Last night, the constitutional order of the Republic of Poland was broken and a constitutional state body was taken over by force," said the president, who also demanded the evacuation of the court premises and the departure of officials sent there by the Polish government.

The crisis and the protests are rooted in the highly infected and conflicted relationship between President Nawrocki and Prime Minister Tusk.

The president of the Constitutional Court, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was appointed by the former PiS government. According to critics, that choice has led to a politicization of the court. For the past six months, Swieczkowski has used his power as president to prevent judges elected by the current parliamentary majority from serving.

Parliament elected six new judges in March. Five of them have not been able to judge, because President Karol Nawrocki did not accept them. The European Court has ordered Poland to accept the four judgments.

It was when it became known on Friday that Swieczkowski had been suspended from his post that a large number of people, mainly PiS supporters, gathered outside the court.

The notice of suspension was published on the court's website. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said, according to the BBC, that he had requested that Swieczkowski's immunity be lifted because he had not fulfilled his duties. The purpose is to be able to prosecute him.

The suspended judge Swieczkowski calls what happened a coup d'état, a criminal classification that is also listed on the court's X account. Swieczkowski himself participated in the demonstrations and ordered the gates to be opened. Even the leader of the far-right party Confederation of Freedom and Independence believes that Poland is on the brink of a coup d'état.

The president left the courthouse early in the morning. He now intends to "urgently convene a political consultation with the aim of stabilizing the political situation".

According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the situation outside the court has now calmed down. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek describes it as the police "passed the test" and that the people who "actually attacked the court could be escorted out of there".

The EU-friendly Donald Tusk, who leads the liberal-conservative party Citizens' Coalition (KO), has so far only spoken out via a post on X. In it, he defends the suspension of the chief judge:

"It is our duty to restore the rule of law. After years of lawlessness under the PiS government, this is a difficult process, which can sometimes be painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way."