Polish opposition agrees on Tusk’s candidacy for prime minister

The leaders of the opposition Civic Coalition, Third Way and The Left have officially announced their readiness to form a coalition and nominate Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk for the post of prime minister.

They announced at a joint press conference, RMF FM reports.

Opposition parties called on President Duda not to delay the first government meeting

The leaders of the opposition parties called on President Andrzej Duda not to delay the appointment of the first government meeting, to calculate who has the majority and to entrust the mission of forming the government to a representative of the winning opposition rather than a politician from the ruling Law and Justice party.

“We will ask the president to convene a session of the Sejm as soon as possible. We have a majority to elect a prime minister,” said Polish Peasant Party leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, adding that his party would consult with the president on October 25.

Similarly, Third Way leader Szymon Hołownia called on the president “not to waste another second of our time”.

The opposition parties did not provide any specifics on other personnel arrangements. According to Donald Tusk, the distribution of positions – the Sejm and the Senate speakers – will be carried out “with a sense of partnership and equality of the subjects (of the coalition)”.

President Duda began consultations with the parties

President Duda began consultations with the political parties that entered parliament following the elections on October 24.

Representatives of the ruling Law and Justice party were the first to meet with Duda, followed by the Civic Coalition bloc. Consultations with other political forces will occur on October 25.

The ruling Law and Justice party became the formal winner of the elections, winning 194 seats in the Sejm. However, the opposition is considered the real winner, as the alliance of the Civic Coalition (157 seats), the Third Way (65 seats), and the Left (26 seats) provide them with a majority and a chance to form a coalition.

However, it is still possible that the ruling party will attract politicians from the Polish Peasant Party, who were elected to the Sejm as part of the Third Way bloc.

Most Poles say the president should entrust the opposition to form the new government

The overwhelming majority of Polish citizens believe that President Andrzej Duda should entrust the formation of the government to a candidate chosen by opposition parties and blocs – the Civic Coalition, the Third Way and The Left. This is according to a poll conducted by SW Research for the rp.pl portal.

56% of respondents said that the president should entrust the formation of a new Polish government to a candidate nominated by the three opposition parties.

Only 25.7% of respondents believe that Duda should hand the mandate to the Law and Justice candidate, while another 18.3% have no opinion.

Przemysław Wesołowski, head of the SW Research research agency, points out that the formation of a government by a candidate from the Civic Coalition, the Third Way and The Left is most often supported by women, young people, people with average incomes and higher education.

According to official data, five political parties and blocs are entering the Polish parliament: the ruling Law and Justice party with a score of 35.38%, the leading opposition bloc Civic Coalition with 30.70%, Third Way with 14.40%, The Left with 8.61%, and the far-right party Confederation with 7.16%.

With these election results, despite the formal victory of the Law and Justice party, which has ruled the country for the past eight years, the Civic Coalition, Third Way and The Left have a chance to form a government.