Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed on Saturday to defend the nation’s democratic institutions following a night of violent street clashes outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. The unrest erupted amid a profound political crisis centered on the legitimacy and control of the country’s highest constitutional court.
“Poland is strong, democratic, determined,” Tusk declared in a solemn public address. “It has not extinguished itself and will not be extinguished.” His remarks followed confrontations between protesters and riot police positioned outside the tribunal building on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
The Constitutional Tribunal has long been a flashpoint in Polish politics. During their 2015 to 2023 tenure, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party packed the court with politically aligned judges—appointments criticized by both the European Union and Tusk’s center-right faction as lacking independence. Since returning to power in 2023, Tusk, a former president of the European Council, has pledged to resolve the deadlock. However, those efforts have stalled because President Karol Nawrocki has refused to swear in new judges nominated by the current government and the Sejm, effectively exercising a presidential veto over the appointments.
Tensions escalated sharply when Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, a judge appointed by the current governing coalition, announced the suspension of the tribunal’s controversial president, M. Swieczkowski, citing an urgent necessity to restore the rule of law. “A democratic state cannot function in modern Europe without a constitutional court… guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of citizens,” she stated. In response, the tribunal rejected the suspension through its social media account on X, denouncing the move as “a coup d’état.”
The crisis intensified when President Nawrocki, who was aboard an aircraft bound for Senegal to attend the opening of the Youth Olympic Games, abruptly turned back to Warsaw. Upon arrival, he entered the tribunal building after initially being physically blocked by individuals inside. Throughout Saturday afternoon, Nawrocki held consultations at the presidential palace with representatives from various political factions, including nationalists, the far right, and two parties from the centrist governing coalition. Other factions declined to participate; the radical left asserted that the president was an active party to the conflict and had not extended an invitation, while Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO) opted to send no representatives.
Speaking on Saturday evening, Tusk condemned the turmoil at the court. “We have witnessed horrible events at the Constitutional Tribunal,” he said. He explicitly blamed the unrest on the PiS party alongside former president Andrzej Duda and President Nawrocki, alleging an ongoing campaign to dismantle the rule of law with support from pro-Russian factions. Tusk expressed confidence that the tribunal would eventually resume normal, independent operations in accordance with the constitution.
