Polish President Nawrocki forces his way into the Constitutional Tribunal amid clashes — conflict over the court intensifies

A new escalation in the conflict over the Constitutional Tribunal

Poland's long-running political dispute over the state of its judiciary reached a new point of escalation on Friday: President Karol Nawrocki forced his way into the building of the Constitutional Tribunal, while clashes broke out between police and anti-government protesters. Nawrocki and his supporters demand the reinstatement of a suspended conservative judge of senior rank; his suspension is supported by the pro-European government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This is reported by Euronews.

Reaction in Brussels and a dispute over powers

Michal Wawrykiewicz, a Member of the European Parliament from the European People's Party representing Tusk's party, said that the president is 'trying to block the restoration of the rule of law' in the country. According to him, Nawrocki's party, Law and Justice, seeks to maintain political control over the tribunal, which, as he described it, during the decade of that party's rule was a 'politically manipulated puppet theatre'. Wawrykiewicz insists that the only body empowered to appoint judges of the Constitutional Tribunal is parliament, and that the president has no such powers. On Saturday, the European Commission issued a statement in support of Prime Minister Tusk's position.

What is known and what remains unclear

The assessments presented are the position of a politician close to the government and the position of the European Commission; the reaction of President Nawrocki himself and his entourage is not given in the available publications. The legal details of the judge's suspension, around which the conflict has flared up, as well as possible further steps by the parties, are also unknown.