Polish PM Donald Tusk has been accused of mounting a coup, after Polish police seized and occupied the country’s ‘Constitutional Tribunal’, Poland’s body that decides the application of its constitution.
In an X post this evening, 30 October 2026, Tusk blamed right-wing party PiS and claimed he had no other choice:
Restoring the rule of law is our duty. After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.
Constitutional war
A summary by Geoinsider explains what happened and why it matters:
- The Constitutional Tribunal’s leadership has been challenged.
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska issued orders suspending Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański [Skwawkbox: both appointed by a PiS government] from their duties for one month. She claims authority to take over the Tribunal’s leadership as its most senior judge.
- Why did she do this?
Korwin-Piotrowska accuses the existing leadership of obstructing the work of judges elected by the current parliamentary majority, violating judicial procedures and preventing the proper functioning of the Tribunal. She also raised concerns about the court’s 2027 budget.
- The Tribunal rejects the orders.
Its existing leadership says the official website was illegally taken over and insists that Święczkowski remains president. The legality of Korwin-Piotrowska’s decisions is disputed.
- Police entered the building.
Following the announcement, demonstrators gathered outside the Tribunal. Tensions escalated, with some people reportedly climbing over the fence and throwing objects at police officers. Police intervened and several people were detained.
- Why is this Tribunal so important?
The Constitutional Tribunal determines whether laws and other legal acts comply with Poland’s Constitution. Its decisions can affect legislation, government actions and the country’s entire legal system. Control over its leadership therefore has major constitutional and political significance.
- This conflict has been building for months.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government and President Karol Nawrocki have been locked in a dispute over the Tribunal’s composition. Nawrocki refused to swear in three judges elected by parliament, while the Tribunal’s existing leadership refused to allow judges appointed by the current parliamentary majority to take their seats.
Tusk’s government does not recognise the Tribunal’s legitimacy and has refused to publish some of its rulings, citing controversial judicial appointments made under the previous PiS government.
- Political reactions are escalating.
PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński called on President Nawrocki to intervene, accusing Tusk’s government of turning Poland into a police state. Nawrocki cancelled his trip to Senegal and announced that he is returning to Poland.
Tusk, meanwhile, says restoring the rule of law is a difficult but necessary process.
The situation is still developing. Both sides dispute the legality of the actions taken, and the legal authority behind the latest orders remains unresolved.
Poland is now facing one of its most serious institutional confrontations in recent years. What happens next will depend on whether the two sides can resolve this dispute through legal and constitutional channels or whether the standoff escalates further. For now, Warsaw remains at the centre of a crisis that could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s institutions and political future.
Nawrocki has reportedly turned his flight to Senegal around and is returning to Poland. Tusk’s intervention may be linked to the EU’s determination to escalate its involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war. Poland’s constitution mandates who can declare war and under what circumstances. While it has no veto power, the court could potentially support a challenge to any declaration of war and PiS appointed judges might push for it to do so.
Header image by Gov.pl, CC BY 3.0 pl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144872959