Behind the police cordons and accusations of a takeover lies a battle over state institutions, EU money and political survival

This weekend, a conflict flared up with renewed intensity between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who leads his country’s governing coalition, and his opponent, President Karol Nawrocki, a supporter of the Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The presence of police equipment and a significant deployment of security forces on the streets of Warsaw, the emergence of memes across the Polish internet featuring the key figures involved, and reports that the country’s presidential plane had to turn back while over Africa have all drawn global attention to the unfolding situation.…