Donald Tusk, who led Poland for seven years and served as president of the European Council, became the new Prime Minister after his predecessor lost his seat in a no-confidence vote.
Poland's new Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, 66, was sworn in before President Andrzej Duda on December 13 and pledged that his government would abide by the country's constitution.
Tusk's statement was aimed at the government of former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the previously ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), which were accused of violating the constitution by attempting to bring the judicial system under tighter political control.
Mr. Tusk emphasized that the growing disillusionment of the people with PiS and the previous government fueled the high voter turnout on October 15, helping the three-party opposition coalition come to power.
The Polish Parliament held a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on December 11. With 190 votes in favor and 266 against, he was unable to remain in power, paving the way for Tusk to form a new government.
New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks at his swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on December 13. Photo: AFP
Mr. Tusk, who previously served as president of the European Council, is expected to attend the European Union (EU) - Western Balkans summit shortly after taking office. The new Prime Minister has pledged to push for the release of frozen EU funds for Poland and added that support for Ukraine will be a top priority for his government.
Tusk's government is likely to face frequent clashes with PiS lawmakers, as the party still has allies in the presidential office, the central bank, the supreme court, and several key financial and judicial institutions.
Poland had previously had tens of billions of euros frozen by the EU due to disagreements over its democratic reform efforts. Tusk's pro-EU stance is expected to thaw relations between Poland and the organization.
Mr. Tusk served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 and held the position of President of the Council of Europe from 2014 to 2019. He returned to Polish politics as leader of the Civic Alliance in 2021.
Ngoc Anh (According to Politico/AFP )
Source link
Comment (0)