Poland’s parliament approved Tusk as new prime minister, and his government

The Sejm gave a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government on December 12. Later, Sejm Speaker Szymon Holownia presented Tusk with a resolution on the election of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

Earlier in the day, the head of government delivered an exposé, followed by a debate and question period. The Polish Sejm has elected Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Coalition, as Prime Minister.

A ceremony took place in the Sejm Speaker’s office. Szymon Holownia presented Tusk with a resolution on the election of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, TVN24 reported.

248 members of the Sejm voted for Tusk’s premiership; 201 were against. No one abstained from voting.

After the vote, the elected prime minister made a speech.

“Thank you, Poland; this is a really great day, not for me, but for all those who believed that thanks to you everything would change for the better”.

Donald Tuck, Polish Prime Minister

Tusk noted that he had to return to the post of prime minister.

“I would like to thank the members of the Law and Justice Party; it was you who managed to wake up millions of people. It was because of what you tried to do not only to me but also to democracy that so many Poles woke up on October 15”.

Donald Tuck, Polish Prime Minister

Donald Tuck also called for more assistance to Ukraine as Polish neighbor suffers Russia’s ongoing military invasion.

“We will demand full mobilization of the West to help Ukraine. I can no longer listen to politicians who say they are tired of the situation in Ukraine … An attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us”.

Donald Tuck, Polish Prime Minister

Before that, the Polish Sejm, as predicted, did not express confidence in the minority government of Mateusz Morawiecki.

266 members of the Sejm cast their vote of no confidence in Morawiecki’s government, with 190 in favor. No one abstained.

Tusk’s government will become fully operational this week, after he takes the oath of office before the President of Poland.

Following the October elections, the ruling right-wing conservative Law and Justice party lost power in Poland.

Liberals from the Civic Platform lead the new coalition. Now Poland has a new pro-EU government after eight years of national conservative rule by the Law and Justice Party (PiS).

The leaders of the Civic Coalition, Third Way, and Left officially announced their readiness to form a coalition and nominate Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk for the post of prime minister on October 24. Tusk, a past EU leader, is expected to improve Warsaw’s standing in Brussels. His leadership will boost centrist, pro-EU forces at a time when eurosceptics, such as Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, are gaining strength.

Poland’s outgoing nationalist government was initially one of Ukraine’s strongest allies after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, Poland-Ukraine ties have worsened as economic competition from Ukrainian food producers and truckers has angered Polish farmers and truck drivers.

An ongoing blockade by Polish truck drivers at the border with Ukraine is among the urgent issues that Donald Tusk will have to tackle immediately as the prime minister.