Institutional crisis in Poland over the Constitutional Court
On October 30, 2026, Polish President Karol Nawrocki abruptly cut short his state visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw amidst a severe institutional crisis. The tension erupted when Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, exercising temporary administrative authority, suspended the president of the Constitutional Court, Bogdan Swienczkowski, and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski, for one month. This action followed a request from Minister of Justice Waldemar Zurek to lift the immunity of the court's leadership, triggering allegations of a "coup d'état" from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Police forces cordoned off the Constitutional Court building, leading to clashes with protesters that resulted in three arrests. President Nawrocki, supported by Supreme Court Chief Zbigniew Kapinski, entered the building in the early hours of October 31 to demonstrate his opposition to the government's move. Nawrocki condemned the suspension as a violent seizure of a state institution and has called for urgent consultations with political party representatives to resolve the deadlock.
The confrontation reflects a decade-long conflict over judicial control between the current pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the nationalist-conservative factions who appointed the court's judges during their tenure from 2015 to 2023. The situation remains volatile as the President attempts to broker a compromise to restore institutional stability.