Tusk defends suspension of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal president amid protests

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has defended the suspension of Bogdan Swieczkowski, the president of the Constitutional Tribunal and an appointee of the previous government. According to RTE News, the tribunal stated that its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, suspended Swieczkowski and has taken charge of the court.

This development led to hundreds of protesters gathering outside the tribunal amid a heavy police presence, while right-wing politicians accused Tusk's government of conducting a coup against the court.

Tusk addressed the nation regarding the escalating tensions, stating that the government is seeking to restore the rule of law. The Times of Israel reported that the Prime Minister described these measures as sometimes painful but necessary to restore judicial independence while rolling back reforms from the previous administration.

Al Jazeera noted that the centrist government aims to restore independence following years of far-right political interference. Euronews added that Tusk accused the PiS party and President Nawrocki of undermining the rule of law and pledged support for the court's work and its newly elected judges.

President Karol Nawrocki cut short a flight to Senegal to return to Poland following the suspension of a far-right ally, according to RTE News. The dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal has resulted in a paralysis of the institution, as the nationalist president and the pro-European government refuse to recognize each other's appointees.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Euronews, Al Jazeera, RTE News — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.