Poland: Donald Tusk elected prime minister by parliament
Tusk had previously presented his coalition's government programme in the Sejm in Warsaw and emphasized the importance of a strong EU for his country. "We are all the stronger, all the more sovereign, not only when Poland is stronger - but also when the European Union is stronger," Tusk told the MPs. Tusk also called for resolute support for Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression.
In the Polish parliamentary elections in October, the right-wing nationalist PiS party under Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki received the most votes, but was unable to gain partners for a government majority. Tusk's liberal-conservative Civic Coalition and its two coalition partners, on the other hand, have a clear parliamentary majority.
Shortly after the vote, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) congratulated her new Polish colleague Radoslaw Sikorski on his election. "I look forward to working closely with you and to a new beginning in German-Polish relations," Baerbock wrote on the online service X, formerly Twitter. Sikorski had already been Foreign Minister in Tusk's first government.
Tusk was already Polish head of government from 2007 to 2014 and EU Council President from 2014 to 2019. Tusk's pro-European rhetoric clearly distinguishes him from the previous PiS government, which has been at loggerheads with Brussels for years.
In his speech on Tuesday, Tusk called for a "full mobilization" of the "free world and the West" for Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion. "There is no alternative", said Tusk.
Tusk also promised a solution to the truck dispute on the Polish-Ukrainian border. His coalition had "found a way to meet the needs of Polish truck drivers as quickly as possible and to open the border immediately", said Tusk.
Polish transport companies have been blocking several important border crossings to Ukraine since the beginning of November. The hauliers are complaining of "unfair competition" from Ukrainian companies after the EU suspended a number of conditions for border transportation due to the Russian attack on Ukraine. The blockade brought freight traffic between the two countries to a temporary standstill.
Despite the opposition's electoral success, President Duda, who is close to the PiS, initially tasked Morawiecki with forming the government, thus securing the PiS two more months in power. Among other things, the party used this time to appoint two of its former ministers to head state financial institutions and to appoint new public prosecutors.
Since the election on October 15, President Duda has also appointed around 150 new judges, who were selected by a committee that the EU criticizes for its dependence on the PiS. The PiS's influence on the state media, which has become the mouthpiece of the government in recent years, will also continue to have an impact for a long time to come.
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- Tusk expressed the importance of a strong EU for Poland during his presentation of the coalition's government program at the EU summit in Brussels.
- The upcoming parliamentary election in Ukraine will be closely watched by Poland, with Tusk calling for resolute support for Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression.
- In spite of the PiS party's victory in the Polish parliamentary elections, the pro-European Tusk and his coalition partners have a clear parliamentary majority.
- Tusk's electoral success has been celebrated by German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who looks forward to working closely with the new Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
- From 2007 to 2014, Tusk served as the Prime Minister of Poland before becoming EU Council President from 2014 to 2019.
- Donald Tusk's pro-European rhetoric and clear opposition to the PiS government's controversial policies have been welcomed by the European Union.
- After the election, Tusk vowed to find a solution to the truck dispute on the Polish-Ukrainian border, which has been causing delays in freight traffic between the two countries.
- The EU has criticized the selection process for the new judges appointed by President Duda since the election, citing the influence of the PiS on the judicial system.
- The PiS party has used its two months in power following the election to appoint former ministers to head state financial institutions and to appoint new public prosecutors.
- Tusk's government will have to navigate difficult waters as it seeks to balance Poland's domestic interests with its commitment to the European Union and its support for Ukraine.
Source: www.stern.de
