Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Standoff ‘Not Heading in a Good Direction,’ Foreign Media Say

Italy: Media Report ‘Chaos’ and Tension in Poland Over the Constitutional Tribunal

Italian media reporting from Poland describe “chaos” and tension over events surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal (TK), noting that previous attempts to resolve the situation around the court have proved ineffective. One outlet also expressed the view that the institutional crisis has deepened.

The website of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera noted that Poland’s highest judicial institutions, among them the Constitutional Tribunal, have been one of the main reasons for the dispute between the “current pro-European government” and the main opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS).

“Critics in Poland and in the European Union accuse PiS, which governed in 2015-2023, of imposing political control over the main judicial institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal,” the paper wrote. It stressed that the judicial reforms introduced by PiS were the reason the EU imposed penalties on Poland.

“Donald Tusk’s government came to power in 2023 promising to restore the independence of the judiciary. Since then, its efforts have been blocked by the vetoes of two successive presidents linked to PiS,” the daily’s website said.

The Ansa news agency also reported on “tension and protests in Poland.” It assessed that Friday’s events surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal “are part of the ongoing conflict between the centrist government and the nationalist right.” Ansa also wrote that “the Tribunal often placed Polish legislation above European Union law, and the EU in turn accused the judicial body of ties that were too close to the nationalist government of the time.”

The ADNKronos news agency described the current situation as “chaos” and reported on the police presence around the Tribunal’s building. It also noted that under the previous government, “the Constitutional Tribunal, considered by the EU to be too dependent on political power, became the main bone of contention between Brussels and the nationalists, repeatedly affirming the primacy of Polish law over European Union law.”

The agency added that since returning to power, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had promised to resolve the crisis, “so far without success,” it said.

The right-leaning daily La Verita wrote about “Poland in chaos,” expressing the view that “the suspension of the president of the Constitutional Tribunal deepens Poland’s institutional crisis” and the dispute between Donald Tusk’s government and President Karol Nawrocki.

On Friday, the Constitutional Tribunal’s website posted a notice about an order for a break in the duties of Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sochański. According to information provided to PAP by Maciej Taborowski, Magdalena Bentkowska and Maciej Berk, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, as the judge with the longest judicial tenure, became the person heading the Constitutional Tribunal and issued orders for a one-month break in the official duties of Święczkowski and Sochański.

In response, Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and, after returning to Warsaw, went to the Tribunal’s headquarters. A demonstration is under way in front of the Tribunal building, attended by, among others, leading opposition politicians, mainly from Law and Justice. Warsaw police headquarters said officers are carrying out statutory duties on the Tribunal’s premises; there are no police inside the Tribunal building.

Sylwia Wysocka, Rome (PAP)

Spanish Media on the Crisis Around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal: Political Battlefield and Institutional Paralysis

Spanish media are analyzing the crisis around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in detail in lengthy articles. They write of a “political battlefield,” an “institutional impasse” and the “complete paralysis” of the Tribunal, looking at both current events and the long-standing causes of the conflict.

The Spanish daily El Pais writes that over the past decade Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has been a “political battlefield” between “the liberal camp, now in power, and the ultraconservative opposition.” It notes that the demonstrations in front of the Tribunal were organized on the initiative of PiS, which “through attacks on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary brought Poland into conflict with the European Union.”

“However, the politicization of the Constitutional Tribunal began under the earlier governments of Civic Platform, Tusk’s party. Since then, the situation has only worsened,” El Pais stresses. It recalls that under PiS rule, the Tribunal’s rulings provoked “enormous controversy and social mobilization,” including in cases concerning the primacy of Polish law over EU law and the “de facto ban on abortion.”

Cadena SER, Spain’s most popular radio network, reports on its website on “what some call a coup against the Polish judicial system.” The station reports that the cause of the crisis is the inability to renew the Tribunal’s membership, because “far-right President Nawrocki refused to swear in judges appointed by the current government.”

The website Libertad Digital cites reactions from Polish politicians on X. It quotes Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who wrote that “restoring the rule of law is our duty” and that “after years of PiS lawlessness, it is a difficult, sometimes painful process.” It also cites a post on X by former President Andrzej Duda, who invoked Article 128 of the Criminal Code, concerning an attack on a constitutional organ of the state, and accused Tusk and his circle of “using force because they cannot win by democratic methods.”

The Catalan website El Nacional writes that “the institutional crisis in Poland entered another phase of tension on Friday evening.” It recalls that President Nawrocki refused to swear in three of the six judges chosen by parliament. “The president’s refusal led to an institutional impasse,” which was deepened by Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski, who also did not allow the judges to take up their posts.

The online daily El Espanol assesses that the dispute “goes beyond a struggle over current powers.” It points to the Tribunal’s budget, frozen by Tusk’s government, describing this as a “means of institutional strangulation” of the institution.

“These events are the culmination of many months of complete paralysis of the Tribunal. The question of the judges’ legitimacy remains at the center of the dispute,” the daily writes. It adds that the protest atmosphere was heightened by the presence of leading right-wing opposition politicians, including Antoni Macierewicz and Jarosław Kaczyński. (PAP)

Dutch and Belgian Media: Tribunal Crisis Is a Dispute Over the Rule of Law

Media in the Netherlands and Belgium describe the crisis around the Constitutional Tribunal as an escalation of the struggle over the independence of the judiciary. The Dutch broadcaster NOS warned against subordinating the Tribunal to the government; Belgium’s VRT stressed that the situation is unclear, and Le Soir writes about a confrontation between the right and Donald Tusk’s government.

The Dutch public broadcaster NOS describes Friday’s events against the backdrop of a years-long dispute over the makeup of the Tribunal. It recalls that judicial appointments under PiS rule prompted accusations of politicizing the institution, and that Donald Tusk’s government is trying to reverse the effects of those decisions. NOS stressed, however, that the current parliamentary majority taking control of the Tribunal could also weaken constitutional review of legislation. It presents the sidelining of Bogdan Święczkowski as an attempt to break the impasse.

The Flemish public broadcaster VRT described the situation as a “constitutional crisis.” It stressed that conflicting announcements about Święczkowski’s suspension make it impossible to determine unambiguously who is lawfully heading the Tribunal. The broadcaster recalled the EU’s criticism of the Tribunal’s independence and the dispute over the swearing-in of new judges.

The French-language Belgian daily Le Soir published an AFP dispatch that presents the events as a “confrontation between the nationalist right and Tusk’s centrist government.” It noted the conflict with the EU over the Tribunal’s independence and the difficulties in carrying out the announced restoration of the rule of law. The paper also links to a text titled “In Poland, Restoring the Rule of Law Is Turning Into a Confrontation.”

The Flemish daily De Morgen framed the dispute as a political fight between Tusk and PiS. The Dutch daily AD and the Flemish Het Laatste Nieuws, meanwhile, drew attention to the suspension of the Tribunal’s president, the presence of police and the sudden return of President Karol Nawrocki from his trip to Senegal.

NOS and VRT also cited Tusk’s argument about “restoring the rule of law” as well as the opposition’s accusations against the government of a “coup.”

Patryk Kulpok (PAP)

Portugal: Media Say Situation Around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Is Not Heading in a Good Direction

Sending police officers to the Constitutional Tribunal’s headquarters on Friday and suspending its president and vice president do not speak well of Poland’s internal situation, Portuguese media wrote on Friday evening, reporting on “unprecedented” events in Warsaw.

According to Lisbon’s Radio Observador, “the situation is heading in the wrong direction and escalating to the point that an atmosphere close to confrontation is intensifying outside the Constitutional Tribunal building.”

“The suspension of the Tribunal’s president and the appearance of police on the streets have led to accusations of a ‘coup,'” the Lisbon station assessed, citing, among other things, the reaction of the U.S. ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose. On X, he wrote about an “unprecedented confrontation over how the government uses state power, as well as the independence and authority of a constitutional institution.”

“Both sides present extremely different versions of the events and their causes. Regardless of what the facts ultimately establish, the presence of thousands of people outside the Tribunal’s headquarters makes an already dangerous situation even more explosive. Poland certainly does not need a confrontation that could turn into something much worse,” wrote Rose, who is quoted by Radio Observador.

CNN Portugal, meanwhile, reported that “the situation at the headquarters of the Constitutional Tribunal, whose president was suspended from his duties in an unprecedented manner and not allowed onto the premises of the institution he leads, proves that the situation is not heading in a good direction.”

“The Tribunal’s president was suspended from his duties on Friday, plunging the country into a political crisis,” CNN Portugal assessed, recalling that Święczkowski’s deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, was also suspended.

According to CNN Portugal, the situation around the Tribunal is serious enough that it led President Karol Nawrocki to cut short his trip to Senegal and return suddenly to Warsaw.

On Friday, the Constitutional Tribunal’s website posted a notice about an order for a break in the duties of Święczkowski and Sochański. According to information provided to PAP by Maciej Taborowski, Magdalena Bentkowska and Maciej Berk, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, as the judge with the longest judicial tenure, became the person heading the Tribunal.

Nawrocki cut short his flight to Senegal and, after returning to Warsaw, went to the Tribunal’s headquarters. A demonstration is under way in front of the Tribunal building, attended by, among others, leading opposition politicians, mainly from Law and Justice. Warsaw police headquarters said officers are carrying out statutory duties on the Tribunal’s premises; there are no police inside the Tribunal building.

Marcin Zatyka, Lisbon (PAP)

Brazil: Media Say Supreme Court Chief Expressed Concern Over Situation Around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal

Edson Fachin, president of Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF), expressed concern on Friday over the situation around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. He stressed the need for “vigilance against threats to democracy,” the daily Folha de Sao Paulo wrote.

“This event requires the attention of the international community and confirms the need for continued vigilance against threats to democracy, the independence of the judiciary and the democratic rule of law. (It also requires) prudence and institutional responsibility, without hasty action, but also without indifference,” Fachin said.

“We are in contact with representatives of the Brazilian embassy in Warsaw to better understand the situation,” the Brazilian judge added in a statement quoted by Folha de Sao Paulo.

The paper reports on the events in Warsaw in an article titled “Right Accuses Polish Government of Coup After Suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President.” The São Paulo daily highlighted the police presence and the protests outside the Tribunal’s headquarters, as well as President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to abandon his foreign trip.

“This confrontation is the latest chapter in the dispute between the centrist government and the opposition over control and the makeup of the Constitutional Tribunal. The administration of (Prime Minister Donald) Tusk is trying to force (Bogdan) Święczkowski out, accusing him of administrative irregularities and of unlawfully blocking judges chosen by parliament,” the daily wrote.

On Friday, the Constitutional Tribunal’s website posted a notice about an order for a break in the duties of Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sochański. Święczkowski deemed these actions unlawful. In response to these events, Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal and, after returning to Warsaw, went to the Tribunal’s headquarters. A demonstration is under way in front of the Tribunal building, attended by, among others, leading opposition politicians, mainly from Law and Justice. Warsaw police headquarters said officers are carrying out statutory duties on the Tribunal’s premises; there are no police inside the Tribunal building. (PAP)

Germany: Press Reports Escalation of Bitter Dispute Over Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal

German media reacted quickly to the latest events outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, describing them as an escalation of a long-running dispute between the governing camp and the right-wing opposition.

Journalists recall that PiS filled the Tribunal with judges close to it. Reports from Poland rely to a large extent on information from DPA.

The weekly Der Spiegel writes of an “escalation of a dispute that has been going on for months” over Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. “Police officers in front of the (Tribunal) building, an interrupted state visit (by the president) and conflicting announcements from the Tribunal. In Warsaw, the fight for power over the Constitutional Tribunal is intensifying,” the German weekly’s website said on Friday evening.

“The police appeared after one of the judges warned the authorities of a possible threat to judges and staff,” Der Spiegel writes. The editors point to the decision by President Karol Nawrocki, who cut short his trip abroad. “At such a moment the president must be in Poland,” the weekly quotes Nawrocki’s post on the platform X.

As Der Spiegel writes, a notice appeared on the Tribunal’s website saying that the official activity of Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sochański had been interrupted for a month. During that time, the Tribunal will be headed by Anna Korwin-Piotrowska.

“Behind the chaos is a bitter dispute over the Tribunal between the two largest political camps,” Der Spiegel writes, recalling that “the right-wing conservative PiS, which governed the country in 2015-2023, filled the Tribunal with judges close to it.” The Court of Justice of the EU ruled that Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal is neither independent nor impartial.

After the change of government, Donald Tusk’s center-left coalition announced it would invalidate the changes introduced by PiS, but the process of restoring the rule of law has proceeded sluggishly. Der Spiegel quotes the prime minister’s post on X: “After years of PiS lawlessness, it is a difficult, sometimes painful process and requires decisive action. There is no other way.”

Die Welt notes that the opposition is speaking of a putsch, and that PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who appeared outside the Tribunal, warned of the emergence of a police state. The paper reported the detention of three people who got onto the Tribunal’s grounds after climbing over a fence.

Germany’s largest tabloid, Bild, headlined its dispatch from Warsaw “Crowd Intends to Storm Poland’s Highest Court.” “Police officers surrounded the Tribunal building to protect it from the dismissed president, who was not let inside and who, together with the crowd, is pushing against the fences,” Bild’s journalists write.

“Over the years, PiS rebuilt the justice system to its own advantage,” the paper explains. “Prime Minister Tusk wants to restore EU rules in the courts, clearly separating the judiciary from the government. That is why he has now thrown out the top judges, close to PiS — officially they were suspended for a month. But the judges and their supporters do not accept this suspension,” Bild reads.

The paper notes President Nawrocki’s return to the country and stresses that the president and the prime minister are enemies. Święczkowski announced that he will meet with the president.

Jacek Lepiarz (PAP)