The Polish parliament expressed confidence in the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday. The Prime Minister wanted to know if there was enough support for his government after the conservative Karol Nawrocki was elected president.
Tusk said during a debate before the vote that it is “a privilege” to govern Poland. The chance was already high that the result would be positive for him. Of the 460 seats in the Polish parliament, 242 belong to the coalition led by Tusk.
Nawrocki narrowly won the presidential elections at the beginning of June against his pro-European opponent Rafal Trzaskowski, a fellow party member of Tusk. Nawrocki is known to be very critical of the European Union. Tusk is a strong supporter of the EU.
In Poland, the president can thwart the policy of the prime minister and his cabinet, for example by blocking legislation. The president mainly has a ceremonial role but can veto government decisions. The current president, Andrzej Duda, has already done so several times.
As far as Tusk is concerned, the outcome of the presidential elections does not change his political course. But he wanted to know if he still has enough support in parliament to implement his policies. Opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called the election result a “red card” for Tusk’s government. Kaczynski’s PiS party supports Nawrocki.
Tusk can continue to govern now that parliament has expressed its confidence in him. If he had lost the vote of confidence, he might have called new elections.