Polish Parliament Elects Donald Tusk as New Prime Minister
The Polish Parliament has just elected Donald Tusk as the new head of the Polish government, following a vote of no-confidence in the previous Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki. This information was revealed through a live broadcast of the Sejm session.
With 248 Sejm deputies voting in favour, and 201 against, Donald Tusk, the leader of the Civic Coalition, has been chosen as the head of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland. Tusk is a well-known figure on the European stage, having previously served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014. He also served as the former President of the European Council and former Chairman of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP).
It is expected that his new government will commence its duties later this week. Addressing the Polish Parliament after the vote, Donald Tusk thanked the Polish people and stated that his new government would "correct mistakes" so that everyone could "feel at home."
Meanwhile, after Donald Tusk's election as Prime Minister, Jarosław Kaczyński of the Law and Justice party, without providing evidence, accused Tusk from the Sejm podium: "You are a German agent."
The new Prime Minister will present his cabinet on Tuesday. Among those expected to be nominated is Radosław Sikorski, who previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under Tusk's leadership.
Tusk has promised to take a series of measures aimed at undoing the consequences of the eight-year rule of PiS. The new government has pledged to restore the independence of the judicial system, systematically undermined during the previous administrations. Additionally, Tusk promised to unlock €36 billion (£30 billion) in EU funds earmarked for Poland, which Brussels had refused to provide due to concerns about the rule of law.
He also announced the repeal of the 2020 court decision that nearly banned abortions in all cases, while enhancing LGBT rights protection.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Tusk on his election, emphasizing unity, mutual assistance, and strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland.
Recall that in the October elections, the opposition coalition led by Tusk secured a majority with a record voter turnout of over 70%. The coalition consists of three parties: the Civic Coalition of Tusk's parties (KO), the Third Way, and the Left.
Although Morawiecki's PiS party became the largest party after the elections, other parties refused to cooperate with it, and it failed to form a majority in parliament. President Andrzej Duda's decision to nominate Morawiecki for the position of prime minister resulted in the delayed formation of a new government for several weeks.