Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to push through a contested overhaul of the constitutional court. In a prime-time television address on Saturday, he said "in certain matters, there can be no compromise." He said the shake-up is needed to restore a tribunal crippled by years of political disputes.
The court had been paralysed for more than a decade. It was central to rule of law clashes between the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party and the EU during the party's eight years in power.
Tusk's agenda has been blocked by opposition-aligned presidents with wide veto powers. Earlier this year, President Karol Nawrocki refused to swear in five judges approved by parliament.
On Friday, a group of government-backed judges tried to take procedural control of the tribunal. They suspended the PiS-appointed chief judge and deputy chief judge. The move set off street protests, and riot police were deployed to guard the court building.
Tusk defended the action. He said "there was never any doubt that the court in the form imposed by PiS was not a genuine court," citing adverse rulings from European tribunals. He accused opponents of "organisations and politicians" seeking to destroy democracy and the rule of law. He also noted that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had criticised the changes, calling them "a constitutional coup."
Tusk criticised Nawrocki for joining the Friday night protests and entering the court building to intervene. "In a democratic state, no politician can enter a court to issue orders or intimidate judges – not even the president," Tusk said.
The European Commission urged Nawrocki on Saturday to approve the judges nominated by parliament. Poland's Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said the legal basis for the temporary suspension was "questionable." Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said the events outside the court were "not elegant," but argued the alternative was an unconstitutional shift toward a presidential republic.
Nawrocki held cross-party talks on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough. His senior aide, Zbigniew Bogucki, called Tusk "a pathological liar, who is setting Poland ablaze."