Election ends 8 years of extreme right in Poland

This Wednesday (13), Poland ended eight years of the ultranationalist and far-right government of the Law and Justice (PiS) party. Parliament elected Donald Tusk, the country’s former prime minister from 2007 to 2014 and former president of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.

In a speech in Parliament, Tusk promised this Tuesday (13) to guarantee billions of euros for Poland that had been frozen by the EU due to concerns about the rule of law.

During the eight years of the PiS government, Poland framed justice by implementing a reform program called the “Muzzle Law”, which opened up the possibility of dismissing judges who question the reform or other acts of the previous government party.

The law also increases the government’s control over choosing the next president of Poland’s Supreme Court.

“Fidelity to the provisions of the constitution will be the hallmark of our government,” Tusk said, adding that he believes voters’ desire to see the rule of law reestablished was behind the record turnout in the October 15 elections.

PiS came first in the elections but did not have the majority needed to form a government, paving the way for Tusk to form a government that won Parliament’s approval on Tuesday.

Tusk will now have two weeks to make an opening speech to parliament, which will then consider whether to pass a vote of confidence or no confidence in him. If Tusk also receives a vote of no confidence, the Polish president will have the right to choose a new candidate for prime minister himself.

Tusk promised to harmonize relations with Brussels, unlocking billions of euros in funds earmarked for Poland that had been withheld due to rule of law concerns.

In parliamentary elections held in October, the PiS party, which until recently ruled Poland, won 194 seats in the 460-member Sejm and claimed victory. Opposition parties, on the other hand, won more than 50% of the seats combined and made a coalition agreement, selecting Tusk as their candidate.

Only half of Poles believe that a government led by Donald Tusk could survive the entire four-year term, a survey carried out by the UCE research center in Poland revealed on the 16th.