Poland's prime minister urges the president to recognize new constitutional court judges

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on President Karol Nawrocki on Monday to recognize judges elected by parliament to the Constitutional Tribunal, saying the solution is simple and accusing Nawrocki of choosing a forceful confrontation. The crisis escalated last week after the tribunal's president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy were suspended, and police deployed around the court. Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal. The European Commission says it is closely monitoring the crisis.

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Why it matters

The dispute is over who controls Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, the court that rules on whether laws fit the constitution. The European Commission says it is for Polish authorities to make sure the tribunal works in line with the constitution and EU case law.

How each side sees it

The government saysTusk's pro-European coalition says its actions are necessary to preserve the rule of law, and that the president should recognize the judges parliament legally elected, as the constitution stipulates.

The president's side saysMarcin Przydacz of the president's office said there is "absolutely no legal basis for such behavior"; the nationalist opposition and its supporters call the government's moves a "coup d'etat."

Sources

Checked against 2 established news sources:

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Published Monday, November 2, 2026. Spot an error? Email [email protected]. See our corrections log and standards.

Poland's prime minister urges the president to recognize new constitutional court judges

Why it matters

How each side sees it

Sources

Also in this edition

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