Tusk vows no compromise in Constitutional Tribunal feud

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday, Oct. 31, that there would be no compromise in the fight over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal. In a televised address, he said "lawfully elected members of the Tribunal were attacked, and the police protected them". Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the court in Warsaw for a second night against the suspension of its president. The standoff marks the sharpest clash yet between Tusk's pro-European government and President Karol Nawrocki, who is aligned with the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), over who controls the judiciary.inquirer.com+1

Suspension and standoff

Late on Friday, the tribunal announced that Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, its longest-serving judge, had suspended court president Bogdan Swieczkowski and taken charge. The one-month suspension also covered his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski. Riot police surrounded the building. Police said they detained three people after some protesters broke through the fence and others threw objects at officers.infobae.com+2

Nawrocki was on his way to Senegal when the news broke. He turned his plane around and went straight to the court. Video showed him pushing past Korwin-Piotrowska at the doors and later telling the judges, "you are not Constitutional Tribunal judges". In a statement, he called it "a forcible takeover of a constitutional body" and called for urgent consultations with party leaders. Two of Tusk's coalition partners, Poland 2050 and the Polish People's Party, agreed to attend the talks. The Left refused.reuters.com+1

Tusk's defiant address

Tusk called Friday's events "scandalous incidents." He said no politician, including the president, has the right to enter a court and intimidate judges. He compared PiS to a thief who snatches an elderly woman's purse and then cries foul when police take it back. He also said the opposition was benefiting from "an army of Russian bots" online. Bloomberg reported that Tusk accused the opposition of using violence to destroy the rule of law. The opposition has threatened a no-confidence motion against his government.bloomberg.com+4

A decade-long fight

The fight over the court goes back to 2015, when PiS appointed judges to seats that were already filled. Parliament has chosen eight new judges this year. Nawrocki has refused to swear in five of them, including Korwin-Piotrowska and Tusk ally Maciej Berek, and Swieczkowski would not let those five take their seats. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro called the suspension "a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order".notesfrompoland.com+2

"In certain matters there can be no compromise," Tusk said.euronews.com