Polish president accuses Tusk of forcibly seizing the Constitutional Tribunal

what happened

According to Reuters, Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Saturday accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of forcibly taking over the country's top court. The trigger was a late Friday move by the Constitutional Tribunal, which said its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski and was now running the court.

Nawrocki called it “a forcible takeover of a constitutional body” and said public order had been breached. He cut short a trip to Africa and went straight to the court, where riot police were deployed and several hundred protesters demanded Swieczkowski's reinstatement. He called for urgent political consultations. Tusk wrote on X that his government was restoring the rule of law, describing the process as difficult and at times painful.

The dispute over the tribunal dates back to 2015 and has effectively paralysed it, as the government and the president refuse to recognise each other's appointees. Last month parliament appointed Tusk ally Maciej Berek to the court.

why it matters

For now this is a political story rather than an economic one, but a prolonged fight over Poland's judiciary could add uncertainty around the zloty and Polish government bonds. The report contains no direct economic data.

market impact

Zloty and Polish bonds: rising political uncertainty may weigh on the assets

tags

instruments