Poland has a new Prime Minister

Donald Tusk, who led Poland for seven years and served as president of the European Council, became the new prime minister after his predecessor lost his seat in a vote of no confidence.

New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, 66 years old, was sworn in by President Andrzej Duda on December 13 and pledged that his government would abide by the country's constitution.

Mr Tusk's statement was aimed at the government of former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the previous ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which was accused of violating the constitution by trying to bring the judiciary under tighter political control.

Mr Tusk stressed that growing public frustration with PiS and the previous government had fuelled a high voter turnout on 15 October, helping a three-party opposition coalition take power.

The Polish Parliament on December 11 voted for Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki with 190 votes in favor and 266 against, ousting him from power, paving the way for Mr. Tusk to form a new government.

New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on December 13. Photo: AFP

Mr Tusk, who previously served as president of the European Council, is expected to attend the EU-Western Balkans summit shortly after taking office. The new prime minister has pledged to push for the release of frozen EU funds for Poland and added that support for Ukraine would be a top priority for his government.

Mr Tusk's government is likely to clash with regular PiS lawmakers, as the party still has allies in the presidential office, the central bank, the supreme court and several important financial and judicial institutions.

Poland had tens of billions of euros frozen by the EU over its efforts to reform democracy. Mr Tusk's pro-EU stance is expected to thaw Poland's relations with the organisation.

Mr Tusk was Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 and served as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019. He returned to Polish politics as leader of the Civic Coalition in 2021.

Ngoc Anh (According to Politico/AFP )

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