Prime Minister of the opposition coalition who took power in the October general election
In ‘erasing the former regime’, including pressure on public broadcasting,
Conservative president rejects budget proposal with remaining term in office
The former government placed emphasis on national defense, signed a large-scale contract with Korea… There are concerns that the current government is trying to reduce defense spending.
In Poland, one of the largest customers of ‘K Defense Industries’, including signing purchase contracts worth 20 trillion won with Korean defense companies, severe internal conflict is brewing between the left-wing prime minister and the right-wing president. This is because President Andrzej Duda, who has a year and a half left in his term, countered by exercising his veto as new Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who took power through the general election in October, began to erase traces of the previous regime.
Poland is a country with a dual administration system in which power is shared between a president elected directly by the people and a prime minister from the largest party or coalition based on the results of the general election. Although the prime minister holds real power, the president, who has the power to veto bills passed by parliament, cannot be ignored. As the conflict between the two sides intensifies, there is a possibility that the previous administration’s decision to purchase large quantities of Korean weapons may be affected.
According to the Associated Press, President Duda announced on the 23rd that he would exercise his right to veto next year’s budget plan prepared by the new government and propose a new budget plan. The budget, which is expected to be vetoed, freezes public broadcasting subsidies at 3 billion zloty (approximately 1 trillion won), the same level as this year, and includes a 30% and 20% increase in wages for teachers and civil servants, respectively.
On this day, President Duda said on social media Then Prime Minister Tusk also said to X, “You should be ashamed of yourself. “We will solve the problems of the people affected (by President Duda’s actions),” he countered.
The conflict between the two sides began in the October general election when the left-leaning Citizens’ Platform Party, Third Way, and New Left formed an opposition coalition to defeat the ruling right-leaning Law and Justice Party (PiS), leading to a change in government. As its first action, the Tusk coalition government, which took office on the 13th, dismissed the president and board of directors of public broadcasters ‘Polish Television (TVP)’ and ‘Polish Radio (PR)’ and the state-run news agency. This was because the public media had been reduced to a propaganda tool for the previous eight years of the PiS government and had encouraged public opinion against xenophobia and homophobia. President Duda then criticized the new government, saying, “We must show respect for Poland’s law and order.”
President Duda currently has no party affiliation, but won the 2015 and 2020 presidential elections with the support of PiS. His term runs until August 2025. If President Duda exercises his veto as predicted, the new government’s budget plan will likely be scrapped. This is because the Tusk government is unable to secure the number of seats (276 seats, 60% of 460 seats) needed to re-admit it in the National Assembly.
Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of PolandWith the establishment of a left-leaning government for the first time in eight years, several policy changes are expected. The previous PiS government pursued right-wing nationalist policies, including anti-immigration policies and the construction of a border wall in Belarus. The embargo was extended in protest against the European Union’s push to import grains from Ukraine, and as this led to conflict with Ukraine, weapons support was suspended. On the other hand, Prime Minister Tusk has a strong pro-EU tendency.
If the conflict between President Duda and the Tusk government continues, it may also affect the large-scale arms import contract that Poland signed with South Korea during the PiS government. In February last year, the Polish government signed a basic agreement to purchase 1,000 K2 tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers, and 288 Chunmu guns from Korean defense companies such as Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem to strengthen its national defense capabilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and President Duda in July of this year, discussions were held on the introduction of additional Korean-made weapons.
Unlike the previous government, which emphasized strengthening national defense capabilities, the Tusk government is moving to reduce defense spending. Some are raising the possibility of switching weapons suppliers to Germany instead of reducing defense production contracts with Korea. However, in his State of the Union address to the National Assembly this month, Prime Minister Tusk said, “We will respect all arms import contracts signed by the previous government unless they are involved in corruption.”
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.