A dispute over the appointment of the new head of Poland’s State Protection Service (SOP) has escalated into a conflict between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki, with broader implications for national security mechanisms. On Sept. 29, the president’s office announced Nawrocki had rejected Tusk’s nomination of Col. Tomasz Jackowicz as SOP commander, citing the lack of required consultation under the law.

The rejection has drawn attention from former security officials. A former director of the Government Protection Bureau, who later participated in reforms that created the SOP, framed the issue as a question of state security mechanisms rather than a political dispute. In an opinion piece published Oct. 1, he emphasized that the law leaves little room for interpretation regarding the appointment process .

The controversy comes as public approval ratings for Nawrocki and his wife have declined, according to a new poll released Oct. 1, though the survey did not specify causes .