The key facts

  • Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska declared herself acting head of the tribunal as the judge with the longest tenure
  • Kaczyński and Morawiecki protested outside the tribunal building; police detained those who tried to break in
  • President Nawrocki cut short his flight to Senegal and convened an emergency meeting

Escalation over the tribunal's leadership

A conflict over the leadership of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has escalated. A notice appeared on the court's website announcing the removal of its president Bogdan Święczkowski and deputy Bartłomiej Sochański, after which judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska declared herself acting head of the tribunal — as the judge with the longest tenure. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru.

Protests and political demands

On the evening of October 30, a crowd of protesters gathered in front of the tribunal building in Warsaw. Several people attempted to break into the building but were detained by police. Among those gathered were the president of the Law and Justice party and opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Demand for the prime minister's resignation

Polish MEP from the opposition Confederation party, Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, called on Prime Minister Donald Tusk to step down. On the social network X she published a symbolic 'order' to immediately suspend the powers of the head of the cabinet, 'including oversight of all services.' She compared her words to Korwin-Piotrowska's actions, expressing the hope that they would be taken just as seriously, 'like that scrap of paper of Ms. Korwin-Piotrowska, who in the same manner replaced the president of the TK at the dictation of Tusk's gang.'

The president's reaction

President of Poland Karol Nawrocki decided to cut short his flight to Senegal and return to Warsaw, and also convened an emergency meeting against the backdrop of a situation that the outlet characterizes as a coup d'état. Gazeta.Ru is running a live broadcast of developments; the final resolution of the conflict over the tribunal's leadership remained unclear at the time of publication.