Tusk to call confidence vote after election setback

02 Jun 2025 23:37
02 Jun 2025 23:42

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Tusk to call confidence vote after election setback

The EPP elected Donald Tusk as its leader | Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to call a parliamentary vote of confidence in his government after opposition-backed candidate Karol Nawrocki won Sunday’s presidential election, according to media reports on Monday.

His election victory casts doubt on whether Tusk’s government can make meaningful progress on social security reform and restoring the rule of law, or on hot-button issues like allowing same-sex partnerships or loosening Poland’s strict abortion rules.

Declaring that the presidential elections “have not changed and will change nothing,” Tusk noted his government already has experience dealing with an uncooperative president and that there is an emergency plan for dealing with this scenario.

Tusk expressed openness to working with Nawrocki if he proves to be cooperative, but said it would be a “surprise” if that is the case. Current President Andzrej Duda has used his veto power to thwart Tusk’s efforts to make reforms on the rule of law.

Tusk is in a good position to survive the vote of confidence, first reported by Polsat, given the presidential election has had no bearing on parliamentary arithmetic — though there are rumblings of discontent among his ruling coalition.

Parliament speaker (and failed presidential candidate) Szymon Hołownia on Monday afternoon said the election result was “a yellow card — maybe even a red one — for this government and this coalition.”

Hołownia’s Poland 2050 party has 35 MPs in Tusk’s coalition.

News.Az