Tusk: No Compromise on Judicial Independence in Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday evening that defending judicial independence is his duty and there is no room for compromise on the issue, amid a rapidly escalating conflict over the appointment of Constitutional Tribunal judges. President Karol Nawrocki refuses to approve judges backed by the parliamentary majority, while Tusk has vowed to restore the rule of law. Opponents of Tusk's government accuse him of attempting to interfere with the court's work, calling his actions an attempted "coup." The crisis stems from a long-running political rivalry between the national-conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) and Tusk's centrist Civic Coalition (KO), with both sides seeking to appoint their own judges to the court. The dispute threatens Poland's international reputation, and early parliamentary elections are being discussed as a possible resolution.