Poland's court crisis deepens as president and prime minister clash in Warsaw

Poland's constitutional court leadership was suspended Friday, prompting President Karol Nawrocki to cut short a trip to Senegal and return to Warsaw as clashes erupted between protesters and riot police, deepening an institutional crisis between the conservative president and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, elected by Tusk's parliamentary majority in March, suspended court president Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy for blocking new judges from sitting, claiming temporary leadership based on seniority. Nawrocki later forced entry into the court building, while PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called the move "a criminal act" and a "new stage of the coup d'état." The conflict stems from PiS's 2015 judicial reforms and Tusk's 2023 pledge to reverse them. With legislative elections a year away, observers say Tusk's aggressive stance may consolidate his coalition, though Nawrocki's popularity and veto power continue to challenge the government's agenda.