Polish President cuts short Senegal trip as police enter Constitutional Tribunal in suspension row

Polish President Karol Nawrocki abandoned a scheduled visit to Senegal midway and his plane returned quickly to the country. The reason is an unprecedented dispute in the Supreme Court and the entry of police into the court building. In a post on the social media platform X, the President said that in such a crisis it is most important for the head of state to be present in the country.

The row centres on the suspension of the president of Poland's Constitutional Court. Police entered the court building and took over security, causing a stir in the country. Opposition parties have alleged that the pro-Europe government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has wrongly removed the court's president from office. Thousands of people have taken to the streets outside the court in protest against the decision, and a vigorous demonstration against the government is under way.

The government and the opposition have been locked in a tussle over control of the court for several years. On one side is Tusk's pro-Europe government, and on the other the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023. According to critics, PiS had tried to bring the judiciary under its control during its term, for which the European Union also imposed a heavy fine on Poland.

President Nawrocki is considered close to the PiS party. This year Parliament elected six new judges, and he flatly refused to administer the oath to three of them. Meanwhile, the court's president, Bogdan Swietkowski, appointed under the PiS government, stopped the new judges, chosen by a parliamentary majority, from taking up their posts. Then, in dramatic developments on Friday, he was finally suspended, and the dispute reached its peak.

Tension persists between the protesters gathered outside the court and the police. The police say some protesters threw dangerous objects at officers and pelted stones. Some people were seen praying peacefully outside the court, while many chanted slogans carrying placards against Prime Minister Tusk and his government.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, defending his position, has said that restoring the rule of law in the country is his biggest responsibility. He said that after laws were broken under the previous regime it is hard to set the judiciary right, but tough decisions are still necessary for it. Since coming to power in 2023, the Tusk government has been trying to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.

Opposition leaders, for their part, have criticised the government in very harsh terms. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said this takeover of the court is a forcible misuse of power. He warned that justice can never come through violence. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro called the incident a "rebellion" and appealed to people to take to the streets and protest.

The situation is also being watched from abroad. In a statement, Tom Rose, the US Ambassador to Poland, said that what is happening in the Supreme Court is very serious. He said the claims of the two sides are contradictory to each other and that, given the large crowd gathered outside the court, a law-and-order problem could arise. According to the ambassador, the US is deeply concerned about Poland's security, stability and democratic future, but has no intention of interfering in the country's internal affairs.