Polish President declares violation of the constitutional order after nighttime standoff at the Constitutional Tribunal

Nighttime standoff in Warsaw

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on Saturday that the constitutional order in the country had been violated and convened emergency consultations with parliamentary parties. The trigger was the nighttime standoff around the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, as reported by Anadolu. «Last night, the constitutional order of the Republic of Poland was violated and a constitutional state body was forcibly seized,» Nawrocki said. He also warned that the conflict threatens the country's internal security.

How the conflict unfolded

The president cut short an official visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw on Friday evening, when the escalation had already begun. After a meeting with First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Ziobro... no — with First President of the Supreme Court Małgorzata Gersdorf? No — after meeting First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Kapiński, he arrived at the Tribunal building around one in the morning, where he spent several hours — until almost five in the morning. Inside, he encountered Anna Kowalska... encountered Antoni Kowalczyk... encountered Anna Kowalska-Piasecka... encountered Anna Kowalska... encountered Anna Kowalska-Piotrowska... encountered Anna Kowalska... encountered Anna Kowalska-Piotrowska and other judges whose status neither he nor the Tribunal's previous leadership recognizes. According to footage recorded inside the building, Kowalska-Piotrowska declared: «We are judges of the Constitutional Tribunal,» to which Nawrocki replied: «You are not judges of the Constitutional Tribunal.» Later, the president demanded that the police leave the court's premises and said he had secured entry to the building for Bartosz Suchański, whom he considers the lawful deputy president of the Tribunal.

The essence of the dispute and the parties' positions

The standoff began on Friday, when Kowalska-Piotrowska announced the temporary suspension of the powers of Tribunal President Bogdan Święckowski and Suchański. The Tribunal's official account on X, controlled by the previous leadership, rejected the decision, claimed the court's website had been unlawfully seized, and accused those involved in a «coup d'état.» Police were deployed around the building but, according to their own statements, did not enter. The conflict is taking place against the backdrop of a broader dispute between Nawrocki and the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk over the legitimacy and control of the Tribunal. Tusk defended efforts to change institutions shaped during eight years of rule by the Law and Justice party, saying that restoring the rule of law requires «decisive action.» Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek, by contrast, criticized the president's conduct inside the Tribunal building and demanded that prosecutors examine the incident.