Poland's next political battle starts as president takes office
Karol Nawrocki, the nationalist outsider who scored a shock victory in June's runoff for president, will be inaugurated on Wednesday, setting up a battle with Tusk's pro-EU administration. Instead of securing a long-awaited ally, the government is now preparing for an opponent in the presidential palace again.
Backed by the Law & Justice party that Tusk ousted from government, Nawrocki is expected to wield his ability to block legislation. While the role of president is largely ceremonial, Tusk's coalition doesn't have a big enough majority in parliament to overturn a veto on issues such as abortion rights and measures to tackle the budget deficit.
Tusk may find Nawrocki to be an even tougher rival than predecessor Andrzej Duda, who is also a Law & Justice ally, said Agnieszka Kasinska-Metryka, professor of political science at the Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce. Nawrocki's strong conservative beliefs and eagerness to forge his own path as a nationalist leader could make for an unpredictable presidency, she said.
During the election campaign, Nawrocki openly courted the far right as he sought to win enough support to beat Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and the governing Civic Platform's pick for president.
With no prior background in high political office, Nawrocki is still building his credibility, so from the beginning "he would like to be seen in the media as a strong fighter for what he believes,' said Kasinska-Metryka. "The most interesting issue for me is how long he'll be loyal to Law & Justice.'
What's sure is that a clash of two very different politicians with two very different visions for Poland lies ahead.
Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki stands with participants of the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupation during World War II, amid celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of the beginning of the uprising, at Powazki Military Cemetery in Warsaw on Friday. |
Agencja Wyborcza.pl / via REUTERS
Nawrocki, 42, is a former amateur boxer turned historian who led the Institute for National Remembrance, which investigates Nazi and communist-era crimes. U.S. President Donald Trump praised Nawrocki's "GREAT WIN' in a social media post on July 24 ahead of the inauguration in parliament, saying it came because "he truly loves the Polish people.'
Tusk, 68, served as president of the European Council in Brussels. He was feted for defeating Law & Justice in 2023 and steering the country back to the European mainstream after years of standoffs over rule of law that threatened Poland's EU funding.
But that victory turned sour when Tusk faced deadlock from Duda, who stymied attempts at judicial reform, while infighting within the governing coalition derailed efforts to improve women's rights, for example. Now, it's all about whether he can win reelection in 2027 and keep Law & Justice out of power.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said having a prime minister close to the EU and a president close to Trump allows Poland to "play on two pianos at once.' But the question is who sets the music, with Nawrocki, for example, opposing NATO and EU membership for neighboring Ukraine.
Tusk's three-way coalition lost its luster even more after the defeat in the presidential election. A mid-July survey by the CBOS pollster showed that 48% of Poles are dissatisfied with the government, the worst showing since it took power. The governing parties, meanwhile, have squabbled over who was to blame for the failure to take the presidency.
After surviving a vote of confidence in parliament, Tusk has scrambled to assert authority over the coalition. He reshuffled his cabinet into a "team of commandos,' imploring ministers to take quick decisions and lawmakers to vote unanimously on legislation.
Tusk said in July that the shake-up was aimed at "tightening the reins and telling everyone who reports to me in the government: enough pampering and no more jokes.'
For his part, Nawrocki pledged to be an "active' president, ready to announce legislative proposals after he's sworn in. First among them will be moves to accelerate work on a major new airport and offer further financial support to farmers.
Nawrocki has vowed to veto any attempt to increase taxes. He also said he'd propose a rise in the tax-free allowance if the government fails to deliver on its pre-election promise.
However, with limited fiscal room to maneuver amid a huge boost to defense spending, Tusk said recently that increase was no longer possible. Poland was reprimanded by the European Commission last year for its excessive deficit, which currently is the biggest after Romania. The Finance Ministry's 2025 economic growth forecast, currently at 3.4%, was reduced twice.
For the government, the next step is to navigate Nawrocki's first few months as president.
"I don't think he seriously cares about these proposals being implemented,' Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said in an interview with public television. "But just about torpedoing the government's work.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
6 hours ago
- NHK
European leaders reject border change by force ahead of planned US-Russia summit
European leaders have said borders "must not be changed by force" ahead of the planned US-Russia summit meeting later this month, warning that talks on Ukrainian territory should not be led by Moscow. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday. A senior official of the Russian presidential office suggested that their talks will focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term, peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. On Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and other European countries issued a joint statement saying they "welcome President Trump's work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine." But the statement added: "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force." The statement articulates European countries' concern that the United States and Russia will hold negotiations on issues surrounding Ukrainian territory without the involvement of Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that European countries conveyed to the US side a counterproposal that calls for a ceasefire to be implemented before any other steps are taken.
Yomiuri Shimbun
17 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Zelenskyy Rejects Formally Ceding Ukrainian Territory, Says Kyiv Must Be Part of Any Negotiations
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal could include 'some swapping of territories.' Zelenskyy said Ukraine 'will not give Russia any awards for what it has done' and that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.' Later Saturday, European and Ukrainian officials met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in England to discuss how to end the more than three-year war. The talks came after Trump said he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy. Representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland attended the meeting in Kent, Zelenskyy said in a post on X, calling the talks constructive. 'I have not heard any partners express doubts about America's ability to ensure that the war ends,' Zelenskyy said. 'The President of the United States has the levers and the determination.' Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy dismissed the planned Trump-Putin summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, warning that any negotiations to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II must include Kyiv. 'Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work,' he said. Ukrainian officials previously told The Associated Press privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine's inability to regain lost territories militarily. The Trump-Putin summit The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there's no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. 'It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska,' Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Saturday in a statement posted to the Kremlin's news channel. The president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK issued a joint statement late Saturday in support of Ukraine and ending the war. 'We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed,' the statement said. In his comments at the White House Friday, Trump gave no details on the 'swapping of territories.' Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed. Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down discussion involving Zelenskyy. His announcement that he planned to host one of America's adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they'd meet in a third country. Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the AP that the 'symbology' of holding the summit in Alaska was clear and that the location 'naturally favors Russia.' 'It's easy to imagine Putin making the point. … We once had this territory and we gave it to you, therefore Ukraine had this territory and now should give it to us,' he said, referring to the 1867 transaction known as the Alaska Purchase when Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. Reactions in Kyiv On the streets of Kyiv, reactions to the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia ranged from skepticism to quiet resignation. 'It may not be capitulation, but it would be a loss,' said Ihor Usatenko, a 67-year-old pensioner, who said he would consider ceding territory 'on condition for compensation and, possibly, some reparations.' Anastasia Yemelianova, 31, said she was torn: 'Honestly, I have two answers to that question. The first is as a person who loves her country. I don't want to compromise within myself,' she told the AP. 'But seeing all these deaths and knowing that my mother is now living in Nikopol under shelling and my father is fighting, I want all this to end as soon as possible.' Svitlana Dobrynska, whose son died fighting, rejected outright concessions but supported halting combat to save lives. 'We don't have the opportunity to launch an offensive to recapture our territories,' the 57-year-old pensioner said, 'But to prevent people from dying, we can simply stop military operations, sign some kind of agreement, but not give up our territories.' Ultimatums and sanctions Before Trump announced the summit, his efforts to pressure Russia to stop the fighting had delivered no progress. Trump had moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions. The Kremlin's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine trade attacks On Saturday, two people died and 16 were wounded when a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. It also said it shot down one of the two missiles Russia deployed. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and 21 more Saturday morning.
The Mainichi
17 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Zelenskyy rejects formally ceding Ukrainian territory, says Kyiv must be part of any negotiations
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal could include "some swapping of territories." Zelenskyy said Ukraine "will not give Russia any awards for what it has done" and that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." Later Saturday, European and Ukrainian officials met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in England to discuss how to end the more than three-year war. The talks came after Trump said he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy. Representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland attended the meeting in Kent, Zelenskyy said in a post on X, calling the talks constructive. "I have not heard any partners express doubts about America's ability to ensure that the war ends," Zelenskyy said. "The President of the United States has the levers and the determination." Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy dismissed the planned Trump-Putin summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, warning that any negotiations to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II must include Kyiv. "Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work," he said. Ukrainian officials previously told The Associated Press privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine's inability to regain lost territories militarily. The Trump-Putin summit The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there's no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. "It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska," Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Saturday in a statement posted to the Kremlin's news channel. The president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK issued a joint statement late Saturday in support of Ukraine and ending the war. "We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed," the statement said. In his comments at the White House Friday, Trump gave no details on the "swapping of territories." Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed. Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down discussion involving Zelenskyy. His announcement that he planned to host one of America's adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they'd meet in a third country. Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the AP that the "symbology" of holding the summit in Alaska was clear and that the location "naturally favors Russia." "It's easy to imagine Putin making the point. ... We once had this territory and we gave it to you, therefore Ukraine had this territory and now should give it to us," he said, referring to the 1867 transaction known as the Alaska Purchase when Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. Reactions in Kyiv On the streets of Kyiv, reactions to the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia ranged from skepticism to quiet resignation. "It may not be capitulation, but it would be a loss," said Ihor Usatenko, a 67-year-old pensioner, who said he would consider ceding territory "on condition for compensation and, possibly, some reparations." Anastasia Yemelianova, 31, said she was torn: "Honestly, I have two answers to that question. The first is as a person who loves her country. I don't want to compromise within myself," she told the AP. "But seeing all these deaths and knowing that my mother is now living in Nikopol under shelling and my father is fighting, I want all this to end as soon as possible." Svitlana Dobrynska, whose son died fighting, rejected outright concessions but supported halting combat to save lives. "We don't have the opportunity to launch an offensive to recapture our territories," the 57-year-old pensioner said, "But to prevent people from dying, we can simply stop military operations, sign some kind of agreement, but not give up our territories." Ultimatums and sanctions Before Trump announced the summit, his efforts to pressure Russia to stop the fighting had delivered no progress. Trump had moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions. The Kremlin's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine trade attacks On Saturday, two people died and 16 were wounded when a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. It also said it shot down one of the two missiles Russia deployed.
