Polish president returns from Senegal after top court chief suspended

What happened

On Friday, a group of judges elected by Poland’s current parliamentary majority suspended Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and deputy Bartłomiej Sochański. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska said she had assumed the top post. Police secured the tribunal in Warsaw, put up barriers, and faced protesters; police said objects were thrown at officers and three people were arrested after trying to enter. President Karol Nawrocki, en route to Senegal, posted that he was cutting short the trip because the president must be in Poland. Overnight into Saturday he arrived at the building, went through a police cordon, and entered; video showed a struggle with security. In a statement he called the events a violation of constitutional order and a seizure of a constitutional body by force, and asked security forces to leave. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said restoring the rule of law was a duty after years of Law and Justice (PiS) lawlessness and required decisive action. The tribunal’s social-media account said its website had been taken over unlawfully and that Święczkowski remained president. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said he had asked for the two judges’ immunity to be lifted so^{⁠[1, 2, 4, 6, 8]}

Background

The Constitutional Tribunal has been contested since 2015, when successive governments made disputed appointments. The European Union accused the court of closeness to PiS during that party’s 2015–2023 governments. After Tusk returned to office in 2023, his government refused to treat the court as fully legitimate and sought to reverse earlier judicial changes, while PiS-aligned presidents used vetoes. Nawrocki, who won the presidency in 2025, has refused to swear in several judges elected by the current parliament. Święczkowski, a former PiS-era official, had declined to let those judges take up duties.^{⁠[1, 2]}

How the coverage differs

The Guardian, on the left, framed a decade-long legitimacy dispute, Tusk’s EU-oriented rule-of-law push, expert doubts about the legal basis of the suspension, and Nawrocki’s struggle to enter. Right-leaning outlets including Fox News, the New York Post, Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, IJR and OANN stressed Nawrocki turning the plane around, riot police, protesters against a “wrongful” suspension, and “coup” language from Nawrocki, PiS and allies; the Examiner highlighted him forcing entry as supporters clashed with police. Financial Times, Sky News and Al Jazeera described a bitter president–prime minister fight over court appointments and a constitutional crisis, with less emphasis on “coup.” WorldNetDaily used “globalists” framing.^{⁠[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]}

What's still unclear

Whether the Friday suspension and Korwin-Piotrowska’s claim to the presidency have a lawful basis is disputed among Polish lawyers and politicians. It is unclear who controls the tribunal’s premises, website and procedures, how long Nawrocki remained inside, and whether further arrests, prosecutions or parliamentary votes will follow. Accounts differ on crowd size and how much force police or the president used.^{⁠[1, 8]}

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