Protests at the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw: removal of the court's leadership and Dmitriev's reaction

Conflict over the tribunal's leadership

On the evening of October 30, a crowd of protesters gathered in front of the Constitutional Tribunal building in Warsaw. Several people attempted to force their way 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, as well as former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru.

Removal of the court's leadership

The escalation was triggered by a conflict over the court's leadership: an announcement appeared on its website stating that the president of the tribunal, Bogdan Święckowski, and his deputy Bartłomiej Sochański had been removed. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska declared herself acting head of the tribunal, citing her longest judicial tenure. In response to the situation, the President of Poland Karol Nawrocki convened an urgent meeting with the participation of all political forces and parliamentarians to resolve the situation at the Constitutional Tribunal.

Reaction and context

The situation was commented on by Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the Russian president for investment and economic cooperation: on the social network X he wrote that 'Europe is not doing well: migrants, fomenting wars, riots and coups,' commenting on Święckowski's removal. Earlier, on October 28, it was reported that there were intentions to remove Nawrocki himself from office — thus, the conflict around the tribunal is unfolding against the backdrop of an already existing political confrontation. The outlet is monitoring developments in real time; the outcomes of the meeting at the president's and the parties' further steps are not yet known.