Poland’s Tusk and Nawrocki Clash Over Control of the Constitutional Tribunal

A long-running power struggle between Poland’s pro-European prime minister, Donald Tusk, and its nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, escalated sharply over the weekend in a fight over control of the country’s Constitutional Tribunal, CNN reported.

What happened

On Friday, Tusk’s government moved to remake the tribunal, whose chief justice, Bogdan Święczkowski, was appointed under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government. Święczkowski, who had refused to let a new judge approved by parliament take his seat, was suspended, according to the report. A week earlier, another parliament-approved judge, Maciej Berek, a Tusk ally, was blocked from taking his seat amid scuffles outside the court. Riot police reinforced security around the tribunal on Saturday.

Nawrocki, who is aligned with PiS, called the chief justice’s removal “a forcible takeover of a constitutional body” and cut short a trip to Africa to go to the tribunal. Tusk acknowledged on X that the process was difficult and said in a televised address that the court would operate independently and in line with the constitution.

The background

Tusk’s Civic Coalition won the 2023 election in part by promising to restore the tribunal’s independence after eight years of PiS rule, during which PiS appointed several judges who remain on the court. The European Union had warned in 2021 that those changes posed a systemic risk to the rule of law, and the European Commission froze EU funds over judicial independence concerns.

Nawrocki, elected in 2025, has refused to swear in three of the six judges nominated by parliament. He is an outspoken supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, who praised him in September.

Analysts quoted by CNN said the suspension was not in itself a coup, but argued that restoring the rule of law must also be done lawfully. U.S. Ambassador Tom Rose urged all sides to avoid actions that could lead to violence.

What this means for the region

Neither side appears ready to compromise, and the dispute is likely to shape Poland’s national elections due in 2027, including how closely the country aligns with the European Union. The standoff comes as Poland, a front-line NATO state, faces pressure from the war in neighboring Ukraine and from sabotage attacks the Tusk government attributes to Russia.

Source: CNN