Polish PM accuses president of undermining rule of law and inviting Russian interference
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused President Karol Nawrocki of undermining the rule of law by seeking to control the Constitutional Tribunal, warning this invites Russian interference. Tusk suggested Nawrocki's actions were aided by a Russian bot army online. Tusk's televised remarks followed Nawrocki's physical intrusion into the Constitutional Tribunal on Saturday night, where he shouted down judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska. The president, backed by the opposition PiS party, had cut short a trip to Senegal to "restore constitutional order," triggering a flood of social media bots claiming a coup. The crisis stems from a power struggle over the Tribunal, whose leadership was suspended by Korwin-Piotrowska. Tusk's coalition deems the court's PiS-appointed leadership illegitimate. The confrontation occurs amid pre-election tensions, with parliamentary elections due in 2027, and reflects the ongoing conflict between Tusk's government and the PiS-backed presidency.