Unprecedented situation in Poland: president pushes himself into the Constitutional Court

Unprecedented situation in Poland: president pushes himself inside the Constitutional Court - Christiaan Paauwe correspondent Middle and Eastern Europe - Filip Dujic online editor The president of Poland was physically in contact with judges of the Constitutional Court last night. This unprecedented situation occurred when President Nawrocki tried to enter the building of the court. He was stopped by judges, among others, who had recently been appointed by the government. Eventually, he managed to push his way in. This brought a long-standing conflict over the appointment of new judges to a climax. Earlier that evening, unrest occurred again at the court and there were confrontations between the police and protesters. Objects were reportedly thrown. Three people were arrested. The conflict began years ago when the conservative-nationalist party PiS controversially appointed its own judges. The cause of yesterday's unrest was the suspension of the chairman of the court, who had been appointed by the previous PiS government and to whom he remained loyal. He is directly opposed to the current prime minister Tusk and his government in their plans to reform the rule of law. In this way, the Tusk government faced a problem with appointing new judges, who were supposed to replace PiS judges whose terms were expiring. When the government proposed new candidates, President Nawrocki refused to take the oath. This led to the remarkable situation that the new judges were in the building of the court but could not work for chairman Swieczkowski because they had not taken the oath. Thereupon, the current government decided to suspend the conservative chairman and vice-chairman, hoping to break the stalemate. This led to resistance outside the walls of the court last night, where demonstrators gathered and PiS leader Kaczynski was also present. Opposition speaks of a coup d'état "The people must defend the Constitutional Court, because without a constitution there is nothing. Then there is lawlessness," said a demonstrator wearing a camouflage hat to the NOS. "They want to appoint and rule their own people as they wish, but we must not allow that." The conservative opposition, led by Kaczynski, speaks of a coup d'état. Another demonstrator, a man with the Polish flag, finds the situation unreal. "Never before has anyone undertaken such a brutal action against the Constitutional Court. Letting the police and other authorities in, secretly taking documents, that has not been the case until now." The police stated that they were there at the request of the judges to ensure safety. And Prime Minister Tusk says there was no other way to achieve reforms and that decisive action is necessary. President Nawrocki was on a plane to Senegal yesterday when he decided to turn back due to the arisen situation. In the evening, he arrived in Warsaw where he tried to enter the court. There he made physical contact with the new judges of the court. Images show him trying to force his way in, which eventually succeeds. The Constitutional Court assesses whether new laws are in line with the constitution. The judges therefore have a lot of power and can actually decide whether new laws pass through, which makes a big difference to the government's strength. The unrest around the court will not do much for public trust in the institution. Due to all political interference, by the PiS party but now also by Tusk's party, fewer and fewer Polish citizens trust the institution. President Nawrocki called for a meeting at the end of the restless night. He also spoke of a "violation of the constitutional order of Poland" and wants a meeting to "stabilize the political situation". Today, demonstrations are once again taking place in front of the entrance to the building of the court.