Latest news with #TuskGovernment
Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Poland's PM Donald Tusk strikes defiant tone after winning confidence vote
Poland's beleaguered prime minister has won a confidence vote, shoring up his position after a right-wing populist opponent took the presidency. Donald Tusk struck a defiant tone in parliament and insisted that his government would not yield by 'so much as a millimetre' amid conjecture that his already fractured coalition might disintegrate after the election. Tusk, who returned to power 18 months ago, had his ambitions for liberalising social reforms and a wholesale clean-out of the public sector repeatedly frustrated by the outgoing President Duda, who is close to the nationalist opposition. The prime minister's centre-right Civic Platform party had high hopes of breaking the blockade by getting Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw and an ally of Tusk, elected president in Duda's place. Yet Trzaskowski's lead in the polls evaporated and he lost to Karol Nawrocki, another opposition figure, who has vowed to intensify Duda's veto tactics after he takes office in August. • Who is Poland's new president? The defeat leaves Tusk's coalition at risk of being unable to present any significant legislation without it being rejected by Nawrocki. That has in turn led to calls for Tusk to stand down and call an early election instead of serving out his remaining two and a half years as premier. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the most powerful figure in the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, has urged Tusk to make way for an interim cabinet of technocrats who would hold the fort until voters elect a new government aligned with the Nawrocki presidency. Yet Tusk resolved to fight on, using a vote of confidence in his own leadership to compel his coalition partners to reaffirm their loyalty. 'I don't know the meaning of the word 'capitulation',' he told MPs. 'There is no talk of it.' Fielding more than a hundred questions during a debate that dragged on for more than six hours, he announced that he would reshuffle his cabinet next month and hinted that he would abolish a number of ministries to fix what he described as a 'dysfunctional structure' in the administration. 'There is no political earthquake, but let's be honest: we face two and a half years of very hard, serious work under conditions that are unlikely to improve,' Tusk said. He suggested that his government's image problems had stemmed as much from understating its successes and a 'festival of lies from the opposition' as from its struggles to enact the promises it had made to the electorate: 'Perhaps we have overdone it with the belief that the truth will defend itself.' • How Poland's new president will halt the march of liberal reforms During the ensuing debate, PiS MPs lined up to accuse Tusk of losing control of the public finances and mismanaging projects of national prestige such as a container port near Szczecin and the country's nuclear research reactor facility. Radoslaw Fogiel, an influential PiS MP, told The Times that the confidence vote had been 'irrelevant' and 'nothing more than political theatre' intended to distract voters from the presidential election defeat. 'Donald Tusk's government has record-low approval ratings, has failed to deliver on most of its promises, does not respond to the aspirations of the Polish people, and is focused solely on fighting the opposition,' Fogiel said. Michal Wojcik, a former deputy justice minister, told Tusk's coalition benches: 'You are the Huns of Polish politics. You, like those nomads who invaded Europe many centuries ago, destroyed and pillaged, but lost. The Hun empire fell because it came into contact with the forces of democracy.' Ultimately, however, Tusk carried the day by 243 votes to 210, implying that all of the MPs in his coalition had remained by his side.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Donald Tusk has found his own ‘special place in hell'
He once warned Brexiteers they faced their own 'special place in hell'. Now Donald Tusk is in a purgatory of his own. Poland's prime minister has narrowly won a vote of confidence in his warring coalition after his preferred centrist presidential candidate was defeated earlier this month. Instead, the Trump-inspired Eurosceptic Karol Narwocki crossed the line first in Poland's presidential elections. On Wednesday, a total of 243 MPs in the 460-seat parliament backed Mr Tusk's coalition, achieving the simple majority needed for the government to survive in a result he said will give his cabinet new momentum. 'We have a mandate to take full responsibility for what's going on in Poland,' Tusk told parliament in a debate ahead of the confidence vote. 'Governing Poland is a privilege.' But despite surviving the vote, the prime minister now faces two and a half years of being a lame duck leader hobbled by the new veto-wielding opposition president. While most of the power in Poland's political system rests with an elected parliament, and a government chosen by the parliament, the president can veto legislation. This will likely see Mr Narwocki block reform efforts planned by Mr Tusk, such as the planned introduction of same-sex partnerships or easing a near-total ban on abortion. There are therefore questions about what Mr Tusk can realistically achieve before the next parliamentary election, scheduled for late 2027, and analysts say many Polish voters are disillusioned with the government's failure to deliver on key promises, including reforming the judiciary and raising the threshold at which Poles start paying taxes. 'I don't know the word surrender' Mr Tusk's authority has also been badly damaged with murmurs that the time has come for him to hand over leadership of the alliance, something he has refused to do. 'I know the taste of victory, I know the bitterness of defeat, but I don't know the word surrender,' he said. Mr Tusk, the former president of the European Council, was withering about Brexit before he became Poland's prime minister. He said at the time there was a ' special place in hell ' for 'those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely'. Now he is facing the possible fall of his pro-EU government in what threatens to become his David Cameron moment. Emmanuel Macron, another fierce critic of Brexit, has already suffered a similar fate at the hands of Eurosceptic populists. He called snap elections in France after he was trounced by Marine Le Pen's National Rally in last year's European Parliament elections. The French president lost his majority, dramatically reducing his ability to act in domestic politics. He would have lost control of the government, had a 'front republican' of voters not united to keep the hard Right from power. There was an expectation that a similar 'front republican' would have prevented Mr Narwocki's victory in Poland, but it fell just short. That is a warning before the presidential elections in France in 2027, which the ardently Europhile Mr Macron will not be able to contest.
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Poland's Leader Wins Confidence Vote in Parliament
Poland's centrist government won a confidence vote in Parliament on Wednesday, averting political turmoil for the biggest country on the European Union's eastern flank and a robust supporter of Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk last week called the vote for legislators to endorse his government, hoping to reassert his authority after the victory of a political opponent, Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist historian, in a presidential election this month. In the vote, 243 lawmakers voted in favor of Mr. Tusk and 210 against, giving him a majority in the 460-member lower house of Parliament. Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, Mr. Tusk acknowledged that Mr. Nawrocki's win in the presidential vote would create challenges 'greater than we expected.' But, referring to the president's limited and largely ceremonial duties, he insisted that the result of that election 'in no way reduces our responsibility, our duties or the scope of our power or competences.' Mr. Tusk's victory Wednesday in the confidence vote is a blow for the Law and Justice party, which had been hoping for a possible return to power in the event of early elections. A vote against Mr. Tusk's government would have required him to resign after about only 18 months in office. Bruised by Mr. Nawrocki's victory in the presidential poll and under pressure from Law and Justice to resign, Mr. Tusk last week acknowledged the 'gravity of the moment,' but, gambling on a confidence vote, he insisted that 'we do not intend to take a single step back.' Mr. Nawrocki, like Andrzej Duda, the departing president, is closely aligned with Law and Justice, and his victory over a liberal candidate backed by Mr. Tusk is likely to harden the stalemate between a presidency and a government pulling in opposite directions. The Polish president has no say in setting policy but has veto power over legislation passed by Parliament, a prerogative that has hobbled Mr. Tusk's government to carry out its agenda. That includes repairing relations with the European Union and reversing changes Law and Justice made during its time in power that compromised the independence of the judiciary and all but banned abortion. Law and Justice lost its parliamentary majority in a 2023 election, but the coalition of legislators that Mr. Tusk put together to form a government has been a fractious alliance made up of liberals, centrists and conservatives that shared little common ground other than opposition to Law and Justice. Anatol Magdziarz contributed reporting.
Reuters
03-06-2025
- General
- Reuters
Polish parliament speaker says confidence vote should be next week
WARSAW, June 3 (Reuters) - Polish Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia proposed on Tuesday that a vote of confidence in the government should take place in a week at an additional session of parliament. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday he would call for a parliamentary vote of confidence in his coalition government, after his candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski, lost a presidential election on Sunday. "We are hearing information that it should be soon. I convinced the Prime Minister that we should wait with this for a while," Holownia told journalists. "I suggested to the Prime Minister that the motion be submitted this week so that we can discuss it at an additional session on Tuesday." Nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland's presidential election, delivering a blow to the centrist government's efforts to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation.
Japan Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Tusk calls confidence vote after nationalist wins Polish presidential election
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Monday for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government, after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election. European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights. He won Sunday's runoff in the highly polarized EU and NATO member state with 51% of the vote to 49% for Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski. In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said he wanted the confidence vote "soon" and vowed to stay on, adding that the election "will not change anything." His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party said that Poles had shown him the "red card." Kacynski called for a "technical" government of experts to replace the current one. Nawrocki said on X that he wanted Poland to be "a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations. "I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal," he wrote. Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees. "Nawrocki's presidency will be a rough ride for the Tusk government," said analyst Piotr Buras, adding that the president-elect "wants to overthrow" Tusk. He said the election result could lead to "early parliamentary elections, maybe not this year, but next" year. Reforms planned by Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with the current president, who endorsed Nawrocki. There have also been divisions in his governing coalition, which analysts said could be exacerbated by the election result. Polish presidents hold a crucial veto power over legislation. 'Share common values' Nationalist leaders rushed to congratulate Nawrocki. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his fellow nationalist's "fantastic victory," writing on X: "We are looking forward to working with you." French far-right leader Marine Le Pen also welcomed the "good news," while Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered "best wishes" to Nawrocki and said their countries "share common values." Other EU leaders gave a more measured response. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "confident" that "very good cooperation" would continue with Warsaw. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Nawrocki to work towards "a strong, independent and competitive Europe that respects the rule of law." In his congratulatory statement late Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "The Polish people have spoken and support a stronger military and securing their borders." 'They'll block everything' Many Nawrocki supporters said they hoped the new president would help curb immigration and advocate for more sovereignty for Poland within the European Union. During the campaign, he also tapped into growing resentment against the estimated 1 million Ukrainian refugees living in Poland. Nawrocki used his last campaign hours to leave flowers at a monument to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II. Trzaskowski voter Zdzislaw Brojek said he expected "chaos" under the new president, who he claimed would do the PiS party's bidding. "They'll block laws, they'll block everything," the 65-year-old gardener said in Warsaw. Tomasz Szypula, 45, a campaigner, said the outcome "pushes back the prospect of any positive change for LGBTQ people for another five years" — the duration of presidential terms in Poland. He called the realization "devastating." Nawrocki opposes same-sex unions and said in April that "the LGBT community cannot count on me to address their issues." He also opposes any easing of Poland's near-total ban on abortion, declaring that he was "in favor of protecting life." Nawrocki's campaign was overshadowed at times by controversies over a murky apartment purchase and his football hooligan past. An amateur boxer, Nawrocki also denied media reports that he had procured sex workers while working as a hotel security guard.
