Poland's Chief Justice Suspended Amid Political Turmoil

Riot police were deployed around Poland's constitutional court after the suspension of Chief Justice Bogdan Swieczkowski, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the centrist government and the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS). President Karol Nawrocki canceled a planned official visit to Senegal to return to Warsaw amid the unrest.

The government has been attempting to remove judges appointed by the previous PiS administration. Demonstrators gathered outside the court, chanting against Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had vowed to resolve disputes with the European Union after winning the 2023 election.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek requested the lifting of immunity for Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski. The court's official X account claimed a "coup d’etat," asserting that Swieczkowski remained in office, while Korwin-Piotrowska could not assume the interim chief position due to not being sworn in by the president.