Europe
Poland in constitutional crisis: top court chief suspended, Nawrocki cuts short Senegal trip
Judges elected by the current majority suspended the president and vice president of the Constitutional Tribunal. The court called the move a “coup d'état,” and police were deployed outside the building.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 30, 2026, 23:25 · Updated 19:02 · 2 min read
In brief
- Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, were suspended on Friday.
- Police were deployed outside the court and arrested three people during scuffles with protesters.
- President Karol Nawrocki cut short his flight to Senegal and returned to Warsaw.
Poland was plunged on Friday into a new escalation of its fight over the judiciary after Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sochański were suspended from their posts. According to the AP, the decision was taken by judges elected by the current parliamentary majority, while Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced that she was taking over the leadership of the Tribunal.
“Coup d'état”
The Tribunal responded on X, calling the move a judicial “coup d'état.” “Ms. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska is not a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. All persons participating in these actions are committing the crime of a coup d'état,” the post said. Opposition leaders also condemned the decision as an attack on the constitutional order.
Police were deployed outside the court in Warsaw after requests to ensure the safety of judges and staff. According to the police, officers did not enter the building. Supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party gathered outside in the evening; three people were arrested after some protesters threw objects at police and breached the cordon.
The president turns back
President Karol Nawrocki cut short his official visit to Senegal. “At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning,” he wrote on X. Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the actions, saying that restoring the rule of law is an obligation and requires decisive measures.
Tusk's government is seeking to remove judges appointed during PiS rule from 2015 to 2023, when the EU accused the court of being too closely aligned with the government and of often giving Polish law precedence over EU law. The opposition and the president object to the way the government is intervening in the court's work.
