Tusk to head coalition government Civic Platform co-leader says
Donald Tusk, the head of the main opposition party, Civic Platform (PO), will be the prime minister in Poland's new government formed by the opposition, PO's vice-chairman has said.
Three opposition groupings, Civic Coalition (KO) led by PO, the Third Way alliance and the New Left, hope to form a joint government after the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party fell short of getting enough votes to give it a parliamentary majority in October 15’s general elections.
Tomasz Siemoniak, the PO deputy leader, told RMF FM radio broadcaster on Friday he hopes that President Andrzej Duda, who has the authority to ask someone to form a new government, will take into account that PiS, lacking not only seats but a viable coalition partner, will struggle to form a government.
This could give KO and its allies the chance to form a government, which, said Siemoniak, would mean Tusk becoming prime minister.
"I think that one thing is certain: Donald Tusk will be the coalition prime minister, and everything else is the result of his conversations with the leaders of other parties and, of course, internal consultations," Siemoniak said.
Asked whether KO would seek to take over the Defence Ministry in the new coalition government, Siemoniak, the defence minister in the 2011-2015 PO government, replied that various configurations were possible but nothing has been decided.
"It's the prime minister who will decide," he said. "After all, a coalition is built on trust, on people who know each other somehow. It's not like anything is preordained here."
On Friday, the President's Office said that Duda would meet on Tuesday and Wednesday the election committees of parties that won parliamentary seat to discuss the formation of a new government.
Before that, on Monday, the three opposition parties are due meet to declare their willingness to form a coalition government and propose Tusk as a candidate for prime minister, Siemoniak said.
"Poland needs a new government quickly and this will be the meaning of this declaration," he added.
mr/md/mf
