Polish PM vows to restore independence of judiciary amid stand-off with opposition supporters

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The pro-European Union government said the action against Bogdan Swieczkowski was necessary to restore judicial independence, while opposition critics have likened it to a “coup d’etat.”

President Karol Nawrocki, who opposes Mr Tusk’s government, turned back his plane during a flight to Senegal on Friday evening and returned home. That night, he went to the Constitutional Tribunal and said he had helped Mr Swieczkowski enter the building.

Police said they detained three protesters that night after some threw objects at officers and tried to break through the security fence around the court.

Critics accuse the opposition national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which governed from 2015 to 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions.

Mr Tusk came to power in 2023 with a promise to restore the independence of the judiciary, but these efforts have been blocked by vetoes from Mr Nawrocki and his predecessor, both aligned with PiS.

“Restoring the rule of law is our obligation,” Mr Tusk wrote on X on Friday evening.

On Friday evening, the Constitutional Tribunal’s website announced the suspension of Mr Swieczkowski. Shortly after, the protesters, including PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and far-right politicians, began rallying outside the building.

The government says Mr Swieczkowski, who became head of the court under the previous government, repeatedly broke the law. Mr Tusk has accused him of blocking judges elected by parliament from taking up their posts.

The government is a broad coalition made up of Mr Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition, the Left and two more conservative groupings, Poland 2050 and the Polish People’s Party.

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