Donald Tusk Defends Overhaul of Poland’s Constitutional Court Amid Protests

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to see through a contested overhaul of Poland’s constitutional court, declaring that “in certain matters, there can be no compromise.” According to a report by The Guardian, the prime minister delivered a defiant prime-time television address on Saturday night despite overnight street protests and the deployment of riot police to protect the court building.

Tusk argued that the shake-up is vital to restore a tribunal that has been crippled by years of political disputes. The court previously sat at the core of rule-of-law clashes between the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party and the European Union during the party’s eight-year rule. Since returning to office in 2023, the centre-right prime minister has sought to unwind those judicial changes.

The Escalating Crisis at Poland’s Constitutional Court

The judicial crisis flared on Friday when a group of government-backed judges attempted to seize procedural control of the tribunal. The group suspended the PiS-appointed chief judge and deputy, prompting immediate street protests. Defending the action, Tusk asserted that the court under PiS was never a genuine court, pointing to adverse rulings from European tribunals.

The situation intensified when President Karol Nawrocki joined Friday night’s protests and forced his entry into the court building to intervene. Tusk strongly criticized the president’s actions, stating that no politician—not even the president—can enter a court to issue orders or intimidate judges.

Political Fallout and International Reactions

The overhaul has drawn mixed domestic and international responses:

• The European Commission urged President Nawrocki on Saturday to approve new judges nominated by parliament so the court can function in line with the constitution and EU law.
• Poland’s Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights warned that the legal basis for the temporary suspension was questionable and would not contribute to restoring the court.
• Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski conceded that the events outside the court were “not elegant,” but argued the alternative was an unconstitutional transformation into a presidential republic.
• Presidential aide Zbigniew Bogucki responded to Tusk’s address by calling the prime minister a “pathological liar, who is setting Poland ablaze.”

Tusk also highlighted that Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev had joined the opposition outcry, accusing Warsaw of a constitutional coup. Tusk concluded by stating that it was the government’s duty to ensure the security and conditions necessary for the court to operate, and that he intends to fulfill that duty ahead of next year’s parliamentary election.

Source: Tusk defends overhaul of Poland’s constitutional court despite protests (source-feed timestamp 2026-11-01T01:14:06+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.