Pro-European Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was sworn in on Wednesday, officially ending eight years of nationalist rule.
Pro-European Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his government were sworn in on Wednesday, officially ending eight years of nationalist populist rule in Poland.
During the ceremony, President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the previous Law and Justice (PiS) party government, declared himself “open” to cooperation with the new executive, while declaring himself attached to its conservative program.
“I can assure you that I will not oppose what is in the interests of the citizens and the existence of Poland,” declared the president, whose mandate ends in 2025.
“I think that you will do everything, like me, so that the Polish people decide their own affairs and the affairs of their homeland, so that Poland remains in Europe as a sovereign and independent state,” he said. added, echoing the Euro-sceptical position of PiS which accuses Brussels of wanting to limit the powers of national countries.
The new Prime Minister, for his part, welcomed this desire for cooperation, emphasizing the importance of respecting the Constitution.
The government “will remain faithful to the provisions of the Constitution, we will respect all the laws of the Republic”, he declared.
On Tuesday, during a general policy speech Donald Tusk called on the West to maintain its support for Ukraine and delivered a pro-European plea. His first trip abroad should take him to the European summit in Brussels on Thursday, where he hopes to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Tusk, who was already Prime Minister between 2007 and 2014, also led the European Council between 2014 and 2019 before returning to the Polish political scene.
The new government will face daily battles with PiS MPs who remain the largest group in the lower house of Parliament and who “will continue to fight”, according to political analyst Jaroslaw Kuisz.
PiS still has allies in the presidency, the central bank, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, as well as in several important judicial and financial institutions of the state.