Polish President cuts short visit to Senegal amid crisis over the Constitutional Tribunal

The President's return and the meeting at the Supreme Court

Polish President Karol Nawrocki returned to Warsaw late on Friday evening, cutting short his trip to Senegal: the plane turned around over Spain, and the president explained his return by the need to be in the country due to the events surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal. He landed shortly before 22:00 local time and met with First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Ziobro... no — with First President of the Supreme Court Małgorzata Gersdorf... no — with First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Kapiński. Anadolu reports this. Kapiński had earlier condemned what was happening around the tribunal, stating that disputes over constitutional institutions cannot justify actions that paralyze them or strip them of their powers, and emphasizing that the limits of state power are set by the constitution and the law, «not by political decisions or a show of force».

The essence of the conflict and the sharp rhetoric of the parties

The standoff began after orders appeared suspending the powers of the tribunal's president, Bogdan Święckowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The tribunal's account on the social network X called these actions unlawful and accused their initiators of a «state coup». Opposition politicians and demonstrators gathered outside the building; police remained deployed around the tribunal but, according to them, did not enter the building. The leader of Law and Justice, Jarosław Kaczyński, accused the government of preparing to use force against opponents and called to «win the battle for Poland». The head of the Solidarity trade union, Piotr Duda, in an address to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, and Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, declared: «You want a war? You will get it», calling on union members to gather at the tribunal.

Reactions abroad and a possible meeting

US Ambassador Tom Rose described the situation as «very serious», noting that the parties represent «diametrically opposed versions» of events. According to him, an «unprecedented confrontation over the government's use of state power and the independence and authority of a constitutional institution» is possible; he called on officials, the police, and demonstrators to avoid actions that could provoke violence, adding that Washington will not interfere in Poland's internal dispute. Moscow also commented on the crisis: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who stated that she had taken control of the tribunal, announced her readiness to meet with the president, but only without accompanying officials — for security reasons.