Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed on Saturday night to press ahead with a contested judiciary overhaul. He defended government-backed moves to secure the Constitutional Tribunal amid street protests, a standoff with opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, and warnings from European officials.
Tusk Defends Judiciary Overhaul After Tribunal Standoff
Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to television on Saturday evening to defend the government’s actions following a tense Friday night confrontation at the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. Riot police had been deployed. They were sent to guard the tribunal building after a group of government-backed judges attempted to suspend the chief judge and deputy appointed during the previous administration of the rightwing Law and Justice party.
Speaking directly to the public, Tusk insisted that the rule of law could not be restored by accommodating lawlessness. He described the events as scandalous incidents and argued that the tribunal had long been compromised by political disputes dating back to 2015, when Civic Platform and Law and Justice clashed over judicial appointments.
W Polsce prawo wygra z przemocą. pic.twitter.com/t4lvZYeIGP
Tusk argued that the court in the form imposed by PiS was never a genuine court, pointing to adverse rulings from European tribunals. He compared the opposition’s outrage to a thief snatching an elderly woman’s handbag, running off, and when he is caught, he screams that he is subjected to violence. He stated that a democratic state must be strong and capable of enforcing justice, declaring that his administration had a duty to ensure security and the conditions necessary for the court to operate.
Deadlock Between Tusk and President Nawrocki
The underlying crisis centers on a deadlock between Tusk’s center-right government and opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, who holds extensive veto powers. Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to swear in five judges approved by the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament. Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski also refused to let the newly elected judges take up their duties.
Tusk criticized Nawrocki for interrupting a trip to Senegal, turning his plane around, and joining protesters outside the tribunal on Friday night to force his way into the building. The prime minister maintained that no politician possesses the authority to issue instructions to judges or intimidate them.
In a democratic state, no politician can enter a court to issue orders or intimidate judges – not even the president.
Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, via The Guardian
Following Saturday’s speech, Nawrocki held cross-party political talks without achieving an apparent breakthrough. Meanwhile, senior presidential aide Zbigniew Bogucki lashed out at the prime minister in response, labeling him a pathological liar, who is setting Poland ablaze.
European Commission Urges President Nawrocki to Approve Judges
On Saturday, the European Commission urged President Nawrocki to approve the parliament-nominated judges to ensure the court operates in line with the constitution and EU law.
At the same time, Poland’s Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights stated that the legal basis for the temporary suspension of judges was questionable and warned it would not contribute to restoring the tribunal.
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski acknowledged that the scenes outside the court were not elegant
but defended the government’s stance, arguing that the alternative was accepting an unconstitutional transformation of the nation into a presidential republic. Tusk also warned that online pro-Russian actors were exploiting the political friction. He noted that Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev had joined the opposition in an outcry over the changes while accusing Warsaw of a constitutional coup and hounding conservatives.
The events at the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw last night were not elegant but the alternative was to concede an unconstitutional transformation of Poland into a presidential republic.Poland continues to be ruled by a coalition government elected by parliament. https://t.co/9hyMhlhAa3