Tusk defends suspension of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal president

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 20:20 · Archive

Poland's pro-European government has suspended the Constitutional Tribunal's president, citing judicial independence.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday that his pro-European government would press ahead with efforts to suspend the Constitutional Tribunal's president, as hundreds of protesters gathered for a second night against the suspension. The government says the suspension is necessary to restore judicial independence. Opposition critics from the national-conservative Law and Justice party have likened it to a 'coup d'etat'.

President Karol Nawrocki, who opposes the pro-European government, turned back his plane during a flight to Senegal on Friday evening and returned home. On Friday night, he said he helped the suspended court president enter the building despite security measures. Police detained three protesters on Friday night after some threw objects at officers and tried to break through the security fence around the court.

The dispute is likely to deepen political polarization in Poland a year before a parliamentary election. Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse Law and Justice, which governed from 2015 to 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions. Tusk's government came to power in 2023 promising to restore judicial independence, but its efforts have been blocked by vetoes from two successive presidents aligned with the opposition party.

How it is being reported

• Tusk defends suspension of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal president as protesters gather againPrime Minister Donald Tusk says his government is acting to restore judicial independence in Poland.Clickorlando · 31 Oct, 10:17
• Tusk defends suspension of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal president as protesters gather againPrime Minister Donald Tusk says his government is acting to restore judicial independence in Poland.News4Jax · 31 Oct, 10:17

In this story: Donald Tusk · Karol Nawrocki · Law and Justice · Poland · Constitutional Tribunal · European Union

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log