Polish President Nawrocki enters Constitutional Tribunal after scuffle

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, cutting short his visit to Senegal, entered the Constitutional Tribunal building at night after a scuffle at the entrance. He said the constitutional order had been violated and convened urgent consultations with parliamentary forces.

RuskiGazeta Editorial DeskOctober 31, 2026, 11:36 AMUpdated: October 31, 2026, 05:05 PM

Polish President Nawrocki enters Constitutional Tribunal after scuffle

Polish President Karol Nawrocki entered the Constitutional Tribunal building on the night of October 31, after a scuffle broke out at its doors. Cutting short his visit to Senegal, the president said that “the constitutional order had been violated” in the country.

Polish media reported that Nawrocki arrived in Warsaw at around 22:00, first going to the Presidential Palace before heading to the tribunal. The head of the presidential office confirmed that Nawrocki had entered the building. PAP reported that the president spent several hours inside.

Scuffle at the entrance

Video shows the president and the people accompanying him trying to enter the building through a crush at the doors.

The sides are blaming each other. People close to the president said that attempts were made to prevent him from entering, while supporters of the judges elected by the Sejm said Nawrocki had himself chosen physical confrontation. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who declared herself acting chair of the tribunal, said that the people inside had prevented the convening of a general assembly of all judges.

“Violation of the constitutional order”

“I ensured that the legally acting deputy chair entered the Constitutional Tribunal,” Nawrocki said, referring to Bartłomiej Sochański, whom Korwin-Piotrowska suspended along with Tribunal Chair Bogdan Święczkowski.

The president called for the “restoration of the rule of law,” saying that a constitutional state body had been seized by force. The tribunal under Święczkowski said its website had been “illegally taken over” and accused those involved of a coup.

Protesters and police near the fence of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw

Urgent consultations

Citing a “threat to the internal security of the Republic of Poland,” Nawrocki convened urgent consultations with representatives of parliamentary forces for Saturday. He also met with Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kapiński, who, according to the president, does not recognize the actions at the tribunal as lawful.

The government maintains its position. “Restoring the rule of law is our duty,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that the legally elected majority had been prevented from working, so action was necessary to enable the tribunal to function again.

Polish President Nawrocki enters Constitutional Tribunal after scuffle