Poland's Constitutional Tribunal crisis: Tusk and President Nawrocki clash over the top court

Who's saying what

• Prime Minister Donald Tusk

  He says the court's judges were not politically neutral and that the removal was "painful" but necessary to restore the rule of law. "The solution to the conflict is simple," he said: the president should recognise the judges legally elected by parliament. He accused Nawrocki of "choosing forceful confrontation, which could cost Poland very dearly".³⁴

• President Karol Nawrocki and his office

  Nawrocki called urgent talks, citing a threat to internal security. His aide Marcin Przydacz said "there's absolutely no legal basis for such behavior" and that he hoped "the prime minister will not be using the police to take over any constitutional bodies of the state".¹³⁴

• The opposition

  Euronews reports that the opposition accuses Tusk's government of attempting a coup. The tribunal's own X account called the move a "coup d'etat". The government answers that it is reversing interference in the courts by the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government.¹³

• The European Commission

  A spokesperson said: "The appointment of eight new members of the Constitutional Tribunal falls within the constitutional powers of the Sejm", and that it is up to Polish authorities to ensure the court works in line with the constitution and EU case law.¹

• The United States

  Ambassador Tom Rose called for calm: "The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse."³

What's next

After a National Security Council meeting on 3 November, Tusk offered Nawrocki a private one-on-one meeting this week. The president's spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz said the palace doors are open and that talks could happen this week or early next week; no date is set. Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the president's chancellery, said any meeting must deal directly with what the president sees as constitutional violations.¹²

The full story

Poland's long fight over who controls its courts has become an open confrontation between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki. Parliament has elected new judges to the Constitutional Tribunal, but Nawrocki has refused to swear them in and the tribunal's president, appointed under the previous PiS government, would not seat them. On 30 October a parliament-elected judge suspended him and took over the court, police went to the building and Nawrocki flew back from a foreign trip. The government calls this restoring the rule of law; the president's camp calls it unlawful and the opposition calls it a coup. Tusk has now offered talks, but no date is set.

checked Nov 5, 2026