EU backs Polish parliament's right to name top court judges
The European Commission said Saturday that Poland's parliament has the right to name eight new judges to the country's top court. In a speech on TV, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he would not give in on his court overhaul. President Karol Nawrocki held talks with parties but got no deal.
The European Commission said Saturday that Poland's parliament has the power to name new judges to the country's top court, Euronews reported. A Commission spokesperson said naming eight new judges is up to the Sejm, as the parliament is called. The spokesperson said it is for Polish leaders to make sure the court can work.
The Commission urged President Karol Nawrocki to approve the judges picked by parliament, the Guardian reported. It said this would let the court work in line with the constitution and EU law.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke to the nation on TV Saturday evening. He said that "in certain matters, there can be no compromise," the Guardian reported. He called Friday's events "scandalous incidents" and said restoring calm could not mean accepting lawlessness, Euronews reported.
Tusk also faulted Nawrocki for forcing his way into the court early Saturday. "No politician can enter a court to issue orders or intimidate judges, not even the president," Tusk said, the Guardian reported.
Nawrocki's camp pushed back. A video showed the president pushing through people at the court's entrance, Politico Europe reported. A presidential aide said the judges, whom he called "usurpers," had blocked and manhandled Nawrocki. Inside, Nawrocki said to the new judges, "You are not judges," Politico said. Nawrocki accused the government of "forcibly seizing a constitutional institution," the outlet reported.
Nawrocki held talks with political parties Saturday, with no clear breakthrough, the Guardian reported. His senior aide Zbigniew Bogucki called Tusk "a pathological liar." A Polish rights group, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, said the legal basis for suspending the court's chief judge was "questionable," the paper said.
Leaders of a right-wing group in the European Parliament, the European Conservatives and Reformists, sided with Nawrocki, Euronews reported. They called the government's actions a grave violation of the rule of law.
What we know: The European Commission backs parliament's power to name the judges, and Tusk and Nawrocki remain at odds.
What we don't: Whether Nawrocki will accept the new judges.
Where outlets agree Euronews, the Guardian and Politico Europe agree the standoff deepened after Nawrocki went to the tribunal amid a fight with Tusk's government over judges.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.