Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on Monday he would not recognise the suspension of Bogdan Święczkowski, president of the Constitutional Tribunal. He called the move unlawful and escalated a constitutional standoff with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government in Warsaw.

The suspension prompted hundreds of anti-government protesters to rally outside the tribunal's building from Friday evening through the weekend. Many of them were supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Mr Święczkowski, a former national prosecutor, was appointed to lead the court in December 2024. The Tusk coalition has long argued that the tribunal was improperly staffed under PiS and does not regard its rulings as binding.

Speaking at the Presidential Palace, Mr Nawrocki said the constitution gave no minister or political majority the power to remove the head of the tribunal. His chancellery said he would continue to treat Mr Święczkowski as the court's lawful president. Jarosław Kaczyński, the PiS leader, called on supporters to keep up demonstrations in the capital and in other cities.

Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, who also serves as prosecutor general, defended the decision. He said it was part of the government's effort to restore the rule of law after eight years of PiS rule.

Government spokespeople accused the president of shielding political allies from accountability. The dispute leaves Poland with rival claims over who legitimately leads its highest constitutional court.

The confrontation is the sharpest yet between Mr Nawrocki and Mr Tusk's coalition. Since taking office in August 2025, the president has repeatedly vetoed government legislation. Analysts at the Warsaw-based Batory Foundation have warned that the deadlock over the courts could paralyse judicial reform before the 2027 parliamentary election.