Polish President Karol Nawrocki is convening emergency consultations with parliamentary forces amid an escalation of the conflict surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal.
He announced this on his official website.
Nawrocki described the developments as a forceful takeover of a constitutional state body and urged law enforcement officers to leave the tribunal’s premises.
"In view of the threat to the internal security of the Republic of Poland, I am convening emergency consultations today with representatives of parliamentary forces in order to stabilise the political situation and restore constitutional order," the president said.
The conflict was triggered by an attempt to change the leadership of the Constitutional Tribunal, the body that reviews whether laws comply with Poland’s Constitution.
According to the Polish outlet Onet, on 30 October Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced that she was temporarily taking over the institution’s leadership. She also suspended the tribunal’s president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski, for a month.
Against this backdrop, Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal and returned to Poland.
"At a moment like this, the president must be in Poland. I am shortening my flight to Senegal. I am coming back," he said.
A long-running political dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal has effectively paralysed the institution’s work.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk backed the move to change the Constitutional Tribunal’s leadership. He said restoring the rule of law after years of rule by the Law and Justice (PiS) party is a complex process that requires decisive action.
Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to swear in three of the six judges appointed by parliament. At the same time, Swieczkowski did not allow judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to take up their duties.