WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that parliament will hold a confidence vote on his government on June 11, as the country faces a “new political reality” following his ally’s presidential election loss.
Tusk called for the vote after the liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski lost the weekend election to conservative Karol Nawrocki. Nawrocki, who was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, won 50.89% of votes in a tight race that revealed deep divisions in the country on NATO’s eastern flank.
“The political reality is new, because we have a new president,” Tusk told a Cabinet meeting. “But the constitution, our obligations and the expectations of citizens have not changed.”
Tusk’s government runs most of the day-to-day matters in Poland. It exists separately from the presidency, but the president holds power to veto laws and influence foreign policy. Nawrocki’s win will make it difficult for Tusk to press his pro-European agenda.
There are questions about whether Tusk’s fragile coalition can survive until the next scheduled parliamentary election at the end of 2027. Some political opponents are calling for him to step down.
The decision to call a confidence vote is apparently an attempt by Tusk to try to reassert authority in a shifting political situation where some coalition partners might be less likely to want to stick with him.
Observers believe that he’s likely to survive the vote next week and be in a position to continue governing Poland as its most powerful official. The parties in his coalition still hold a majority in parliament.
Tusk oversees a coalition of several parties spanning an ideological divide, from left-wing progressives to centrists to agrarian conservatives. The coalition has failed to agree on some issues, and the government has failed to fulfill some of Tusk’s key promises, including a liberalization of the restrictive abortion law.
Nawrocki is due to take office on Aug. 6. He is expected to shape the country’s domestic and foreign policy in ways that could strain ties with Brussels, while aligning the Central European nation of nearly 38 million people more closely with the Trump administration.
Trump welcomed his election, saying on social media: “Congratulations Poland, you picked a WINNER!”
Nawrocki replied to Trump on social media, saying: “Thank you, Mr President. Strong alliance with the USA, as well as partnership based on close cooperation are my top priorities.”
Nawrocki will replace the conservative outgoing president, Andrzej Duda. The Polish Constitution limits presidents to two terms.
Duda, who like Nawrocki was the candidate of the Law and Justice party, welcomed him warmly at the presidential palace on Tuesday evening, hugging him. Duda said he believes it will be only the first of meetings in which he will share his experiences, primarily in the field of security policy and international policy.
