President Karol Nawrocki Demands Urgent Explanations from Sejm Over Tribunal Judges

Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has sent a letter to Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty containing five specific questions about the election of new Constitutional Tribunal judges, while the Presidential Chancellery separately demanded "urgent explanations" from the Sejm regarding the same matter, according to reports from Do Rzeczy and Polsat News published on March 18, 2026. The dual move — a personal letter from the president and a formal demand from his chancellery — signals an escalating institutional standoff over whether newly elected tribunal judges can be sworn in. The dispute centers on a fundamental constitutional question: whether the president has the authority to refuse to accept the oath from judges elected by the Sejm. The controversy has drawn in multiple branches of government and reignited a long-running conflict over the composition and legitimacy of the tribunal.

Five presidential questions put Czarzasty on the spot President Nawrocki directed five questions to Speaker Czarzasty specifically concerning the Constitutional Tribunal election process, according to Do Rzeczy. The Presidential Chancellery's separate letter to the Speaker demanded "urgent explanations" regarding how the judges were selected, as reported by Polsat News and Gazeta.pl. The legal and political debate over whether the president can decline to administer the oath to newly elected tribunal judges has drawn additional commentary, with Rzeczpospolita reporting on March 18 that yet another voice had entered the discussion. Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who assumed the speakership in 2025, is now at the center of the institutional confrontation, receiving demands from both the president personally and his chancellery. The dispute over the oath-taking procedure represents a direct clash between the legislative and executive branches over control of the tribunal's composition. TOK FM described the background of the crisis in an explanatory piece published the same day, outlining how the current standoff over the swearing-in of new judges developed.

Kosiniak-Kamysz demands apology over recording involving Nawrocki A separate political dispute erupted on March 18 involving Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who demanded a public apology from President Nawrocki, according to Dziennik. The row stems from a recording connected to the president, with Super Express reporting that the controversy had grown into a nationwide argument, citing a claim that video footage exists from the relevant incident. Kosiniak-Kamysz, who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, received a response from Nawrocki's side, though Dziennik reported the reply did not constitute the apology he had sought. The recording dispute added a personal and political dimension to what was already a tense day of institutional confrontations involving the president. The two incidents — the Constitutional Tribunal standoff and the recording row — together placed Nawrocki at the center of multiple simultaneous political controversies on March 18.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has been at the heart of a constitutional dispute since 2015, when the then-ruling Law and Justice party moved to reshape its composition, triggering years of conflict over the court's legitimacy. The dispute over whether legally elected judges have been properly seated has persisted across successive governments. The current coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which took office in December 2023, has sought to address what it describes as an illegitimate composition of the tribunal inherited from the previous administration. The question of presidential authority over the oath-taking ceremony has emerged as a new flashpoint in this ongoing institutional conflict.

National Bank of Poland issues statement on "SAFE at 0 percent" program The National Bank of Poland issued a new statement on March 18 regarding "extraordinary measures" connected to the SAFE at 0 percent credit program, according to Money.pl. The central bank's use of the phrase "extraordinary measures" in connection with the program suggests ongoing institutional concern about the scheme's financial implications. The statement adds a financial and regulatory dimension to an already turbulent day in Polish public affairs. Money.pl reported the NBP's position without providing further detail on the specific nature of the measures described. No confirmed information is available from the source articles on the precise content or scope of the NBP's statement beyond the characterization of "extraordinary measures."