Polish President Andrzej Duda remained loyal to the Law and Justice (PiS) party and nominated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday evening, the 6th of November, to try to form a new government, but there is little chance of success, writes Reuters.
“After calm analysis and consultations, I have decided to entrust the mission of forming a government to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. In doing so, I have decided to continue the good parliamentary tradition whereby the winning party gets the first chance to form a government,” PiS ally Duda said in a televised address.
PiS, which has been in power since 2015, was the frontrunner in the elections but lost its majority. As the other parties have ruled out forming a coalition with PiS, it seems unlikely that the party will be able to form a government.
Duda’s decision was welcomed by PiS spokesman Rafal Bochenek, who in a post on the social networking site X, formerly Twitter, called it “a confirmation of our country’s long constitutional tradition”.
If Mateusz Morawiecki fails to secure a vote of confidence in parliament, the chamber will appoint another prime minister.
This post is likely to go to the former President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who is the preferred candidate of the main opposition parties, according to Reuters.
Tusk, who urged President Duda not to postpone his appointment, expressed concern that a delay could harm his chances of unlocking funds for Poland that have been frozen by Brussels over a dispute over judicial reforms.
According to Reuters, in addition to promising to unblock European Union funds, Tusk has also expressed a desire to bring those accused of wrongdoing during PiS’s eight-year rule, including President Duda, before a state tribunal. The opposition, Civic Coalition (KO), has accused PiS of undermining democratic norms by exerting political influence over the judiciary and using state media for propaganda, allegations that the government denies.
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