Poland crisis deepens: President Karol Nawrocki calls emergency talks after court showdown - The News International
A political crisis is unfolding in Poland as Polish President Karol Nawrocki declared constitutional violation and sought urgent talks.
The issue started when seven parliamentary-elected judges entered Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal headquarters accompanied by State Protection Service officers.
Security guards were ordered to pack up and leave, while incumbent Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański were reportedly denied entry against the backdrop of disagreements over the legitimacy of the panel.
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska declared she was taking leadership of the Tribunal and suspended Święczkowski.
On Friday evening, protesters also clashed with law enforcement officials after the court officials were denied entry in the court.
The crisis over tribunal court prompted Polish president Karol Nawrocki to cut short his official visit to Senegal. He went directly to the Tribunal building with First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Kapiński, where footage showed him pushing past judges during a scuffle at the entrance.
Nawrocki declared events a “violation of constitutional order” and a forcible government takeover of a state institution.
"This night, the constitutional order of the Republic of Poland was violated, and a constitutional state body was seized by force," Nawrocki said.
He called "for the restoration of the rule of law and for the government-deployed enforcement forces to leave the tribunal premises."
"Because of the threat to the internal security of the Republic of Poland, I am convening urgent consultations today with representatives of the parliamentary forces in order to stabilize the political situation and restore the constitutional order," the Polish president said.
Neither Nawrocki nor Kapinski recognized the authority of those who upended the power inside the Tribunal.
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek expressed alarm over President Nawrocki's conduct, stating footage showed him "forcing his way in and attacking judges."
The Polish ambassadors to China and Romania also resigned in response to a court-related dispute in Warsaw.
"Given the attempt to unlawfully take over the Constitutional Tribunal, I no longer see any possibility of continuing to serve as the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Romania," Pawel Soloch, the ambassador in Bucharest, posted on X early on Saturday.
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose wrote in a post on X, "The events unfolding tonight… are very serious. Both sides are offering sharply different versions of what happened and why," he said.
"Whatever the facts establish, the thousands of people gathered outside the tribunal are making an already dangerous situation even more explosive. The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that escalates into something much worse."
