Poland on the brink of crisis as Tusk faces coup accusations over court suspension

Poland is on the brink of a political crisis as opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government of attempting a coup by suspending the head of the Constitutional Tribunal, a move Tusk defends as restoring legality. The conflict escalated Friday when the Tribunal's acting head, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, suspended Chief Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, a decision backed by Tusk. Police clashed with protesters, and President Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal to intervene. The Prosecutor General has filed five motions to lift immunity for the suspended officials. The dispute over the Tribunal, which has raged for over a decade, stems from previous PiS appointments, with Tusk vowing to restore judicial independence since 2023.