Polish president convenes emergency talks amid escalating constitutional court crisis

Polish President Karol Nawrocki called emergency consultations with political party leaders Saturday after a confrontation at the country's Constitutional Tribunal.

The incident has contributed to a political crisis between his office and Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government.

Nawrocki said Poland's constitutional order had been "violated" and accused government officials of forcibly taking control of a key state institution. He said the consultations were necessary to address what he described as a threat to the country's internal security and restore constitutional order.

The confrontation erupted Friday after Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced that Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sochański had been suspended from their duties. She subsequently assumed leadership of the court.

The announcement triggered a standoff at the tribunal's headquarters in Warsaw, where police and security personnel were deployed as protesters gathered outside. Some demonstrators attempted to breach security barriers, prompting police to detain three people, according to The Associated Press.