Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused pro-Russian forces of supporting politicians who oppose changes to the Constitutional Tribunal. According to the head of government, opponents of judicial reform are being aided by an «army of Russian bots», and their actions have been endorsed by representatives of the Kremlin. The statement came after the conflict between the government and President Karol Nawrocki escalated, with the latter describing the removal of the Tribunal’s leadership as an illegal takeover of a state body.
- Tusk claimed that pro-Russian forces were supporting the Polish opposition.
- The Prime Minister accused Russian bots of interfering in the legal dispute.
- Navrotskyi described the suspension of the tribunal’s leadership as unlawful.
- Protests and clashes with the police took place in Warsaw.
- The European Commission has called on the President to swear in the new judges.
Tusk accused the opposition of receiving support from Russia
On the evening of 31 October Donald Tusk delivered a special address to the public concerning the events surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw.
The Prime Minister stated that there have been politicians and organisations operating in Poland for many years who, in his view, are attempting to undermine democratic institutions and the rule of law. He linked their actions to support from pro-Russian circles abroad.
«Today, in this conflict, they are backed by an army of Russian bots on the internet,» said Tusk.
He also claims that opponents of changes to The Constitutional Tribunal received public praise from one of the Kremlin’s leading ideologues. The Prime Minister did not name any specific individuals.
At the same time, in his statement, Tusk did not present any technical evidence of coordinated activity by Russian bots or direct interference by Russian state bodies. These claims therefore remain mere allegations made by the Polish Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has attributed political responsibility for the long-standing crisis in the judicial system to the Law and Justice (PiS) party and the former president Andrzej Dudu and the current head of state Karol Navrotsky.
According to Tusk, his government had tried to restore the independence of the Constitutional Tribunal, but these efforts were systematically blocked.
Why has the conflict surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal escalated?
A new wave of confrontation began on 30 October, when the judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the temporary suspension of the President of the Constitutional Tribunal Bogdan Svienchkovsky and his deputy Bartłomiej Sohanski.
The reason given was the obstruction of the work of judges appointed by the current parliamentary majority. Svienchkovsky refused to recognise the decision, calling into question Korwin-Piotrowska’s own authority.
Outside the tribunal building in Warsaw protesters gathered and opposition representatives. The police stepped up security at the building, and clashes broke out during the standoff.
President Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip abroad and returned to Warsaw. He accused the government of forcibly seizing a constitutional body and demanded that law enforcement officers be withdrawn from the court premises.
On 31 October, Navrotsky held consultations with representatives of the political groups in parliament. However, Tusk’s ruling party, the «Civic Coalition», did not take part in them.
Attempts to resolve the conflict have so far proved fruitless. The parties continue to insist on opposing interpretations of the legality of the personnel changes within the tribunal.
Tusk promised to ensure the court’s independence
In his address, the Polish Prime Minister specifically criticised Navrotsky’s actions during the night-time confrontation outside the Constitutional Tribunal. Tusk emphasised that politicians, regardless of the office they hold, must not interfere in the work of judges, issue orders to them or exert pressure on them. He also stated that the restoration of the rule of law cannot be the subject of political compromise when it comes to breaches of the law. The Prime Minister gave assurances that the government would provide the Constitutional Tribunal with the necessary conditions to carry out its work independently.
Navrotsky, for his part, continues to insist that Svienchkovsky’s removal took place in breach of constitutional procedure. The opposition PiS party also does not recognise the legitimacy of these changes.
Against the backdrop of the standoff, the European Commission has called on the Polish president to swear in the newly elected judges, whose appointments have been one of the main causes of the escalating conflict.
The dispute over the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal has been ongoing since 2015, when, following the PiS’s rise to power, changes were introduced to the judicial system which subsequently became the subject of proceedings before European judicial bodies.
