Seeking fresh start, Poland's Tusk faces confidence vote

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says his pro-European Union coalition has the mandate to govern ahead of a crucial confidence vote in parliament.
Tusk called the vote as he seeks to regain momentum after his ally Rafal Trzaskowski was defeated by nationalist Karol Nawrocki in the country's presidential election earlier this month, prompting predictions of his government's demise.
Tusk, whose fractious centrist coalition built around his Civic Platform party holds 242 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, or lower house, is expected to survive the vote, which could potentially trigger early elections, not scheduled until 2027.
'Governing Poland is a privilege,' Tusk told politicians ahead of the vote on Wednesday. 'We have a mandate to take full responsibility for what's going on in Poland.'
He listed higher defence spending and a cut in his government's visa issuance for migrants as major achievements since he took power in October 2023 from the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS).
But a win is unlikely to bring the 'new beginning' the 68-year-old leader is hoping for after this month's presidential race left his coalition rattled, raising questions over his leadership against a backdrop of surging support for the far-right in the country of 38 million.
Following the presidential election, there has been growing criticism that Tusk's government has underdelivered on its campaign promises, failing to fulfil pledges of liberalising abortion laws, reforming the judiciary and raising the tax-free income threshold.
Tensions within the governing coalition, particularly with the Polish People's Party (PSL), which advocates for socially conservative values and wants more curbs on immigration, could spell more trouble.
President-elect Nawrocki, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, is also an EU-sceptic who is expected to work to boost the opposition PiS party that backed him.
An SW Research poll for Rzeczpospolita daily showed that about a third of Poles thought Tusk's government would not survive until the end of its term in 2027.
Polish presidents can veto legislation passed by the parliament, a power that will likely hamper reform efforts by Tusk's government, such as the planned introduction of same-sex partnerships or easing a near-total ban on abortion.
It could also make ties with Brussels difficult, particularly over rule of law issues, as Nawrocki has expressed support for the controversial judicial reforms put in place by the previous PiS government.
Ties with Ukraine could become more tense as Nawrocki opposes Ukraine's membership of NATO and has been critical of the support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Nawrocki is expected to begin his five-year mandate formally on August 6 once the election result has been legally validated.
The election commission has found evidence of counting errors in favour of Nawrocki in some districts.
Parliament speaker Szymon Holownia, a government ally, said there was 'no reason to question the result'.
Tusk previously served as Polish prime minister from 2007-2014 and then as president of the European Council from 2014–2019. He resumed his leadership of the country as prime minister again in December 2023.