Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, a judge on Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, has suspended the court’s president and his deputy and called in the police, while President Karol Nawrocki has cut short a visit to Senegal and is returning to the country.
Following the suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, Korwin-Piotrowska has temporarily assumed leadership of the institution. The Tribunal announced on its website that Święczkowski was suspended on Friday.
She stated that she summoned the police to the Constitutional Tribunal’s premises due to a potential threat to the safety of the judges and staff.
The police reported that officers entered the court grounds following incidents outside the building – including the throwing of dangerous objects at police officers – Reuters reports. According to other accounts, the police did not enter the building itself, though a large number of officers have been deployed in the surrounding area.
Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, described the move as a “coup d’état” and called on President Nawrocki to intervene.
Shortly thereafter, Nawrocki turned his plane around while en route to Senegal.
“At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning,” he wrote on the platform X.
The conflict stems from a deep divide regarding the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal, which has effectively paralyzed its operations. Donald Tusk’s government does not recognize the Tribunal’s rulings, citing the appointment of judges during the tenure of the previous PiS administration. On the other hand, Nawrocki and Święczkowski do not recognize the judges elected by the Sejm in 2026.
Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to administer the oath to three of the six judges proposed by the parliament, while Święczkowski prevented judges elected by the current majority from taking office.
Among them is Korwin-Piotrowska. The President refused to accept her oath, and Święczkowski had previously prevented her from participating in the court’s work.
