Polish President Issues Statement Following Attempted Coup

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - Polish President, Karol Nawrocki, called for emergency consultations with parliamentary parties on Saturday, October 31, 2026, declaring that Poland's constitutional order faced a violation and a constitutional state body experienced a forcible takeover. Nawrocki cut short an official visit to Senegal to return to Warsaw late Friday as tensions over control of the Constitutional Tribunal escalated.

On Friday, October 30, 2026, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the temporary suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The tribunal's official account, controlled by the previous leadership, rejected the move, claiming its website suffered an unlawful takeover and accusing those involved of a "coup d'état." Riot police deployed to the tribunal Friday night, detaining three people after protesters breached the fence and threw objects.

President Nawrocki stated his return to Poland was because "at a moment like this, the President must be in Poland." He entered the tribunal building early Saturday and confronted several judges. Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended efforts to change institutions shaped during the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, stating restoring the rule of law required "decisive action." PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński condemned the events as an "assault" on the court.

The dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal stems from years of criticism by Poland and the European Union regarding PiS government control over judicial institutions between 2015 and 2023. The PiS reforms led to EU fines. Several Polish ambassadors resigned on Saturday citing the "attempted unlawful takeover of the Constitutional Tribunal."