Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal approved its budget for 2027 on Tuesday, November 3, after weeks of deadlock. The vote has not resolved the crisis at the institution, which has become a focal point of the political conflict between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centre-right camp and the nationalist opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), which governed from 2015 to 2023.
With parliamentary elections scheduled for 2027, the struggle over the court has increasingly extended beyond its formal role. The dispute centres in part on judicial appointments made since Tusk took office three years ago. President Karol Nawrocki and Tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski, both close to PiS, have not recognised judges appointed during that period.
On Friday, October 30, judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended Swieczkowski and the court’s vice-president from their duties, citing failures to meet their responsibilities. The move added to tensions at the Tribunal, where the two political camps remain entrenched in their opposing positions.
Sources: Le Monde International.