Poland's President Accuses PM Tusk of Court Takeover

Polish President Karol Nawrocki accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of staging a forcible takeover of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal after its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was suspended late Friday. Nawrocki called for urgent political consultations following the escalation. The tribunal's longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, suspended Swieczkowski, an appointee of the previous nationalist government, and assumed control of the court. Nawrocki, an ally of that prior government, returned early from a trip to Africa as riot police faced protesters demanding Swieczkowski's reinstatement. Tusk defended the action on X, saying his government aims to restore rule of law, which the EU accused his predecessors of subverting. The dispute stems from 2015 judicial appointments and has paralyzed the court, with both sides refusing to recognize each other's nominees.