President Duda convenes first meeting in about a month after election
There is a high possibility that a Tusk cabinet will be launched… Attention is focused on the point of view
“Final inclusion and erasing the government’s corruption”… Point out intent of action
Poland, which held general elections on the 15th (local time), is expected to be able to establish a cabinet only in December. This is because Polish President Andrzej Duda appears to be trying to delay the launch of the opposition coalition cabinet.
The opposition coalition, which has raised expectations for the launch of a new government by occupying more than the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, plans to exercise its influence in the political space instead of the administrative space for the time being.
◆President Duda “Convenes the House of Representatives on the 13th of next month”… First meeting in a month after the election
According to the Guardian on the 26th, President Duda said, “The preliminary date for the first session of the House of Representatives will be the 13th of next month, the earliest possible date considering constitutional norms.” This means that the first meeting will be held about a month after the election.
According to the Polish constitution, the president must convene a new parliament within 30 days of the election and nominate a candidate for prime minister within 14 days. The candidate for prime minister must form a cabinet and receive a vote of confidence in parliament.
It was announced that the nomination for prime minister would be announced later. President Duda said, “There are two serious candidates for the position of Prime Minister: incumbent Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, head of the Citizens’ Union (PO),” adding, “Poland is facing a new situation that requires more reflection.” “I faced it,” he said.
He previously said, “I will follow tradition by nominating the candidate of the party that received the most votes.”
In effect, this means that the right to establish a cabinet will be given priority to the ruling Party of Law and Justice (PiS), which received the most votes as a single party, over the opposition coalition that secured more than a majority of seats in the general election.
◆Former Prime Minister Tusk expected to return to prime ministership after 9 years… The problem is ‘point of view’
This action actually appears to be an attempt to delay the launch of the opposition coalition.
The Law and Justice Party emerged as the largest party in the general election, but was unable to form a cabinet because it did not secure a majority of seats.
On the other hand, the opposition coalition, including Citizens United, Third Way, and Left Party, which decided to join forces under the banner of restoring democracy, secured 248 seats with a vote rate of 53.71% in the House of Representatives election. These coalitions exceeded the majority (231 seats) needed to form a government.
They designated Representative Tusk as their candidate for prime minister. Representative Tusk, who served as the 13th Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014, is virtually scheduled to return to the position after nine years.
However, the President’s announcement of his intention to give priority to the ‘single’ party with the most votes and to give the Law and Justice Party the opportunity to form a cabinet first is interpreted as an intention to delay the launch of the opposition’s coalition cabinet.
The Law and Process Party, which does not secure a majority of registered lawmakers, is highly likely to be unable to gain the confidence of the cabinet in the National Assembly. Then, other political parties, including the opposition coalition, can freely nominate a candidate for prime minister. However, due to the delay, the new cabinet is expected to be officially launched only in December.
The opposition coalition, including Representative Tusk, has continued to urge President Duda to give the opposition coalition a chance to form a government first to avoid going through this process.
◆Criticism of “Erasing corruption in the government while recruiting people to establish a cabinet”
Some analysts say that President Duda’s move is based on political calculations.
It is pointed out that the Law and Justice Party, which holds 194 seats in the House of Representatives, is trying to create a cabinet by persuading 37 lawmakers from other political parties to join.
Although there is no possibility of establishing a cabinet, suspicions have also been raised that the Law and Justice Party is buying time to erase corruption.
It is assessed that President Duda is trying to delay as much as possible the time when the new opposition cabinet takes charge of the political situation. Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that the government will erase evidence of misconduct committed by members of the Law and Justice Party, including President Duda and Prime Minister Morawiecki, during their eight years in power.
The Law and Justice Party, which has been in power since 2014, has faced numerous criticisms over the past eight years. The opposition party criticized the Law Process and Justice Party for its destruction of the rule of law, abolition of the right to abortion, and hatred of sexual minority rights.
Once the cabinet centered on former Prime Minister Tusk is launched, Poland’s central political landscape is expected to fully reveal itself as a branch government. However, there is a view that the relationship between the President and Congress will not be smooth as the President and the opposition coalition experienced conflict even before establishing the Cabinet.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.