Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Poland’s growing Constitutional Tribunal crisis in a televised speech on Saturday, asserting that the rule of law would triumph over violence as tensions regarding the judiciary escalate.
The conflict erupted when President Karol Nawrocki tried to enter the Tribunal building amid a deadlock over new judge appointments on Friday night. Police surrounded the location as the confrontation unfolded live on television, drawing scrutiny from beyond Poland and into the wider European political arena.
The opposition has accused Tusk’s government of staging a coup, while the government claims it is enacting necessary reforms to restore judicial independence after years of interference from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
In his address, Tusk condemned Friday’s events as “scandalous incidents,” expressing hopes that such occurrences would not recur in Poland. He emphasised that restoring calm does not equate to tolerating lawlessness or violence. “A democratic state must be strong and capable of enforcing justice,” he stated.
The dispute over Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal dates back to 2015, when Civic Platform and Law and Justice parties clashed over the appointment of judges. It has since evolved into a broader conflict regarding judicial independence and the authority of the Tribunal’s decisions.
Tusk mentioned that his government attempted to resolve the crisis, but their proposals faced obstruction from PiS and the president, exacerbating the issue. He noted that the parliamentary majority opted to wait for the terms of judges from the previous PiS administration to expire rather than confront the situation.
“The Sejm made its choice, the judges took the oath, but the president refused to acknowledge it,” Tusk remarked, referring to the new judges elected by the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament. Nawrocki did not formally receive their oaths, while Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski prevented the judges from assuming their roles.
Tusk defended the newly appointed judges, labelling their appointments legal and criticising politicians and activists linked to PiS and the far-right Confederation party for their conduct during the incident. He likened the situation to a thief who, after stealing from an elderly woman, accuses others of violence when they attempt to retrieve what was taken.
“There can be no compromise in certain matters,” he added, stating that lawlessness could not be negotiated away. Tusk insisted that force, aggression, or political interests should not dictate the legitimacy of a state governed by the rule of law.
He further asserted that no politician, including the president, has the right to enter a court or tribunal to issue orders to judges or intimidate them, referencing Nawrocki’s attempt to visit the Tribunal after altering his flight to Senegal.
Tusk cautioned against allowing pro-Russian groups to exploit the political turmoil, highlighting the presence of Russian bots online that he believes support opponents of Poland’s constitutional order. He assured that the Constitutional Tribunal would operate independently in accordance with the constitution, vowing to provide the necessary conditions for it to fulfil its duties. However, his speech lacked a concrete agreement with Nawrocki or a detailed plan to resolve the ongoing conflict.
