Latest news with #voteofconfidence
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Polish government faces vote of confidence after Karol Nawrocki's wins presidential election
Polish lawmakers will hold a vote of confidence in the government on June 11th, prime minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday as he seeks to shore up his centre-left coalition after Sunday's presidential election loss. Mr Tusk's candidate for president, liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, lost the ballot to Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki in a blow to the government's efforts to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation. 'This vote is not an effort to continue what we had been doing before because we know that some things can be done better, faster,' Mr Tusk told reporters. 'This is meant as a day of a new momentum.' Political observers say Mr Tusk's Sunday election loss was in part a sign of growing discontent with his government's progress in making good on election promises that propelled him to power 18 months ago. A CBOS poll from late May showed only 32 per cent of Poles supported the current government. READ MORE Mr Tusk's coalition ended eight years of nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) rule in 2023, with the centrist former European Council president vowing to repair what he says was damage to democratic rule and women's and minority rights under his predecessors. Mr Nawrocki built his campaign in recent months on a pledge to prioritise the needs of Poles over those of migrants or refugees from the Ukraine war , in echoes of US president Donald Trump's Maga rhetoric. He is likely to use his presidential veto to thwart Mr Tusk's liberal policy agenda. Mr Tusk has a comfortable majority in parliament, but some commentators have said Tusk's difficulties over the last 18 months came in part from frictions between his leftist and centre-right allies over issues such as abortion . One of the key promises of his government was a plan to ease the country's near-total abortion ban introduced under the PiS government. 'There is a fundamental question here: what is the goal of Tusk's coalition,' said Anna Materska-Sosnowska from Warsaw University. 'Is it about more than just parliamentary or government positions? If yes, then the coalition needs to put its own ambitions aside and play for the same team.' But while he may have room to build more effective consensus within the coalition, Mr Tusk is likely to struggle to persuade Mr Nawrocki, an arch-conservative, to back policies such as more access to abortion. Outgoing president Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, had made it clear he would veto any such efforts, and Mr Nawrocki said he would follow him. – Reuters
Reuters
3 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mongolia's prime minister resigns after losing vote of confidence
WASHINGTON — Mongolia 's prime minister resigned early Tuesday after he failed to receive enough support in a vote of confidence in parliament, Mongolian media reported. The country's embassy in Washington confirmed it. Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai received 44 votes, well short of the 64 needed, according to news site The vote followed weeks of protests sparked by reports of lavish spending by the prime minister's son. Some called for the prime minister to step down. Before the vote, Oyun-Erdene warned that the vote could lead to instability and shake Mongolia's fledgling democracy. 'If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse,' he said. He defended his integrity but acknowledged a mistake: 'dedicating too much time to major projects while paying insufficient attention to social and internal political matters.' Oyun-Erdene had held the post for four years and survived previous calls to step down. Last year, parliament was enlarged from 76 seats to 126 following electoral reforms. It resulted in a coalition government. Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia has struggled to become more democratic after its party-state era. A communist state during the Cold War, it has been transforming into a democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited business interests and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. 'It's very difficult to build that foundation for democracy' at a time that Mongolia also must tackle economic problems, which are a major source of people's frustration, said Erin Murphy, deputy director and senior fellow of India and emerging Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'We still have to see what happens next and how the new government plans to tackle these issues,' she said. While democracy is yet to thrive in Mongolia, 'it is taking root,' Murphy said.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Mongolia PM resigns after losing confidence vote that followed weeks of protests
Mongolia's prime minister has resigned after he failed to receive enough support in a vote of confidence in parliament, Mongolian media has reported. The country's embassy in Washington confirmed it. Prime minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai received 44 votes, well short of the 64 needed, according to news site The vote early on Tuesday followed weeks of protests sparked by reports of lavish spending by the prime minister's son. Some called for the prime minister to step down. Before the vote, Oyun-Erdene warned the vote could lead to instability and shake Mongolia's fledgling democracy. 'If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus, it could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse,' he said. He defended his integrity but acknowledged a mistake: 'dedicating too much time to major projects while paying insufficient attention to social and internal political matters.' Oyun-Erdene had held the post for four years and survived previous calls to step down. Last year, parliament was enlarged from 76 seats to 126 after electoral reforms. It resulted in a coalition government. Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia has struggled to become more democratic after its party-state era. A communist state during the cold war, it has been transforming into a democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited business interests and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. 'It's very difficult to build that foundation for democracy' at a time that Mongolia also must tackle economic problems, which are a major source of people's frustration, said Erin Murphy, deputy director and senior fellow of India and emerging Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'We still have to see what happens next and how the new government plans to tackle these issues,' she said. While democracy is yet to thrive in Mongolia, 'it is taking root,' Murphy said.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Donald Tusk seeks confidence vote after presidential election blow
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, will ask for a vote of confidence in his centrist government after nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Sunday's presidential election. Mr Nawrocki's victory was a major blow to Mr Tusk, who had hoped Rafał Trzaskowski, his preferred candidate, would aid his liberal reform agenda and attempts to forge a leadership role for Poland in the EU. Instead, Mr Nawrocki is expected to block the government's progressive moves on abortion and LGBT rights and revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues such as the independence of the judiciary. 'I want everyone to see, including our opponents at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the seriousness of the moment, but that we are not going to take a step back,' Mr Tusk said. Mr Tusk ousted the hard-Right and Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) in a general election in October 2023 and set about repairing relations with Brussels, which had frozen EU funding to Poland. Now he is facing the prospect of a lame duck administration stymied by presidential vetoes before the next election, which must be held by November 2027. The vote is intended to show that his broad and unwieldy coalition remains united despite the presidential loss, which has led to predictions the government could fall and trigger fresh elections. But it is also a gamble that could backfire because not all the parties in Mr Tusk's liberal alliance may be willing to recommit to the government when it is so unpopular. Szymon Hołownia, the speaker of the Sejm – the Polish parliament's lower house – and a junior coalition partner, has hinted he and his 32 MPs might abstain from the 'theatrical' vote, which is expected to be held this week. 'The election result, as I've said many times, is a yellow card – maybe even a red one – for this government and this coalition,' he said before Mr Tusk's announcement, which followed talks among senior coalition figures. Mr Tusk said he expected a difficult relationship with the new president, who is armed with vetoes which can block his programme of reforms, but had an emergency plan. 'A contingency plan assuming a difficult cohabitation is prepared. It is difficult to assume in advance what the new president's attitude will be. If he shows a willingness to cooperate, it will be a positive surprise to which we will respond with complete openness,' he said. 'If not, there is no longer anything to wait for, we will set to work regardless of the circumstances, because that is what we were elected for.' He said the coalition would submit already has experience of dealing with a president trying to block changes in the outgoing Andrzej Duda of PiS. 'This plan will require unity and courage from the entire Coalition. The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask the Sejm for in the near future,' he added. Nato meanwhile vowed to become 'even stronger' by working together with Poland's president-elect, despite fears his narrow election victory could sap Polish support for Ukraine. Mark Rutte, Nato secretary general, on Monday congratulated Mr Nawrocki, who is backed by the PiS and Donald Trump, the S president. He said they would work together to face down the threat from Russia and was looking forward to 'making sure that with Poland, Nato becomes even stronger than it is today'. Poland, which neighbours both Ukraine and Russia, has been one of Kyiv's strongest supporters since Russia's invasion in 2022. In March 2025, Poland was hosting 997,120 Ukrainian refugees, second only to Germany in the EU, but public opinion is hardening. Mr Nawrocki defeated Mr Trzaskowski, taking 50.89 per cent of the vote. During the campaign Mr Nawrocki stoked anti-Ukrainian sentiment and vowed to block Kyiv's efforts to join Nato and the EU. Like Mr Trump, Mr Nawrocki has accused Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's leader, of not being grateful enough for Polish help. There are concerns his influence could turn Poland from strong ally to conditional partner if the war drags on. His slender majority was secured thanks to far-Right voters backing the former historian and amateur boxer in the second round run-off. Polish far-Right leader Slawomir Mentzen congratulated Mr Nawrocki but told him to put Poland's interests before Ukraine's. Mr Mentzen is the leader of the Eurosceptic Confederation party, which is against abortion and migration. He scored nearly 15 per cent of votes in round one of the election and came in third. He took on the role of kingmaker and invited the run-off candidates to join him for separate interviews and to sign an eight-point pledge. Mr Nawrocki approved the declaration, pledging not to sign any legislation that would raise taxes, ratify Ukraine's potential Nato membership or limit free speech. The role of president is largely ceremonial but does have some influence over foreign and domestic policy. Mr Nawrocki is also poised to wield presidential vetoes on legislation to frustrate Mr Tusk's coalition government, which does not have a large enough majority to overturn them. 'I am more critical of Ukraine' than outgoing President Andrzej Duda, of PiS, Mr Nawrocki told Mr Mentzen at the time. The 42-year-old is not pro-Russian. As head of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, he oversaw the removal of Soviet-era Red Army monuments, prompting the Kremlin to place him on a 'wanted' list. But he has vowed to block Ukraine's bid to join the EU because of unresolved Second World War grievances such as a 1942 massacre of Poles by Ukrainian militias. Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, a long time PiS ally and Putin's closest friend in the bloc, has also vowed to veto Ukraine joining the EU and congratulated Mr Nawrocki on his 'nail-biter' of a victory on Monday. Mr Nawrocki won support from Polish farmers who claim they are being undercut by cheap Ukrainian food imports after the EU lifted tariffs after the invasion. Mr Tusk steered Poland back towards the EU after ousting the Eurosceptic PiS from power in 2023. End over-reliance on the US Like France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, he believes that Europe can no longer rely on Washington for its security and wants to end over-reliance on the US. Poland, which has one of the fastest-growing EU economies, has pledged to raise defence spending to 4.7 per cent of GDP in 2025 and 5 per cent in 2026. That is not expected to change, with the US grateful for Poland leading the way in exceeding Nato defence spending targets. But Mr Nawrocki, who was recently welcomed at the White House by Mr Trump, will try to slow Poland moving closer to Europe. He has already renewed controversial calls for wartime reparations from Nato and EU ally Germany, when German and Polish defence cooperation is vital to secure Nato's northeastern flank. Marta Prochwicz Jazowska, deputy head of European Council for Foreign Relations, said Mr Tusk's prospects of re-election in 2027 had been damaged. 'As president, Nawrocki will elevate his anti-European, anti-German and anti-migration rhetoric in public discourse while intensifying the anti-Ukrainian sentiment that was exacerbated during the campaign,' she said. 'Ukraine policy will become the second major battleground after Europe.'
