Polish President Nawrocki Turns Plane Back as Police Enter Constitutional Tribunal

Warsaw, Poland. Polish President Karol Nawrocki ordered his plane back to Poland on Friday while it was heading to Senegal, after police went into the building of the country’s top court and the court’s president was suspended.

President’s reaction

Nawrocki announced the decision on social media. He wrote: “At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning.”

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Police action and suspension

Police stated that officers entered the Constitutional Tribunal premises following incidents outside the building, among them dangerous objects being thrown at officers. The tribunal reported on its website that its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was suspended on Friday.

Background of the dispute

A prolonged political conflict over the Constitutional Tribunal has in effect left the institution unable to function. Earlier this year, Nawrocki, who is an ally of the former nationalist government led by the Law and Justice party (PiS), declined to swear in three of the six judges chosen by parliament. Swieczkowski, a former deputy justice minister under PiS, refused to let judges elected by the present parliamentary majority take up their duties.

Government response

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X later on Friday that restoring the rule of law is the government’s responsibility. He said the process after years of lawlessness under PiS is difficult and at times painful, and that it demands decisive action, adding that there is no alternative.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek told reporters that he had asked for the immunity of Swieczkowski and of his deputy to be lifted. He accused them of failing to carry out their duties by blocking judges from doing their work.

Opposition criticism

PiS politicians, including party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, claimed that Tusk’s government was staging a coup against the tribunal.