Tusk defends Poland constitutional court overhaul amid protests
Prime minister Donald Tusk defended a contested shake-up of Poland's constitutional court in a televised address after overnight protests.
At a glance
- Donald Tusk vowed to proceed with a contested overhaul of Poland’s constitutional court after overnight protests.
- The prime minister said the court, paralysed for over a decade, needed restoring after years of political disputes.
- Experts and rights groups questioned the legality of suspending the court’s PiS-appointed chief judge and deputy.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to proceed with a contested overhaul of the country’s constitutional court, delivering a defiant prime-time television address on Saturday night after overnight protests outside the tribunal.
Tusk said the shake-up was necessary to restore a court paralysed for more than a decade by political disputes. The tribunal was central to rule-of-law clashes between the EU and the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government during its eight years in power.
Since returning to office in 2023, Tusk has sought to reverse judicial changes introduced under PiS. His efforts have been blocked at times by opposition-aligned presidents with extensive veto powers. Earlier this year, President Karol Nawrocki refused to swear in five judges approved by parliament.
The latest crisis erupted on Friday when government-backed judges moved to seize procedural control of the court, suspending its PiS-appointed chief judge and deputy. The move triggered street protests, and riot police were deployed to protect the building.
Defending the action, Tusk said the court as shaped by PiS was not a genuine court, citing adverse rulings from European tribunals. He accused opposition politicians of seeking to destroy democracy and the rule of law, and said they found support among pro-Russian forces globally. He pointed to criticism from Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, as evidence.
Tusk also criticised Nawrocki for joining the protests on Friday night and entering the court building to intervene. “In a democratic state, no politician can enter a court to issue orders or intimidate judges – not even the president,” he said.
The confrontation draws battle lines ahead of next year’s parliamentary election, with polls indicating a close race between Tusk’s coalition and the nationalist right. Experts remain divided on whether the government’s procedural move is lawful.
Poland’s Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said the legal basis for the temporary suspension was questionable and would not help restore the court. Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski called the scenes outside the court “not elegant,” but argued the alternative was an unconstitutional shift toward a presidential republic.
Nawrocki held cross-party talks on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough. His senior aide, Zbigniew Bogucki, called Tusk a “pathological liar” who was setting Poland ablaze.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- What did Donald Tusk announce about Poland’s constitutional court?
- He vowed to see through a contested overhaul of the court, saying the shake-up was vital to restore a tribunal paralysed by political disputes.
- Why did protests erupt outside the court?
- Protests followed a move by government-backed judges to suspend the PiS-appointed chief judge and deputy and seize procedural control of the tribunal.
- What did President Karol Nawrocki do in response?
- Nawrocki joined the protests on Friday night, entered the court building to intervene, and later held cross-party talks with no apparent breakthrough.
