Tusk says he will call vote of confidence after election loss
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he will ask the Sejm, lower house of parliament, for a vote of confidence in his coalition government, after his candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski, lost the presidential election.
On Sunday, the conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), narrowly won Poland's presidential runoff, delivering a blow to the centrist government's efforts to stay on a pro-European course.
In a special television address on Monday evening Tusk said that the government's action plan under the new president "will require unity and courage" from the ruling coalition.
"The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask the Sejm for soon," Tusk said.
He added he wants "everyone to see, including our opponents, at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the gravity of the moment, but that we do not intend to take a single step back."
Tusk said he would not stop "even for a moment, as the Prime Minister of the Polish government, in his work and in our common fight for the Poland we dreamed of at the threshold of independence - free, sovereign, safe and prosperous."
"The presidential elections have not changed anything here and will not change anything," he added.
Tusk also addressed those who voted for Trzaskowski. "We are going further. I know how you feel, but let's remember, we agreed on a great thing, which requires strength, perseverance and perhaps more time than we would like. In democracy, the fight never ends," he said.
Tusk further said that "no matter how we evaluate the winning candidate, we should acknowledge his victory and congratulate his voters." "Which I am doing."
He further pledged that "In accordance with the constitution and our own conscience, we will cooperate with the new president wherever necessary and possible" but an "emergency plan" assuming difficult cohabitation has also been prepared.
Tusk admitted that it was difficult to assume in advance what the new president's attitude would be. However, he declared that if Nawrocki showed a willingness to cooperate, "it would be a positive surprise, to which the government will respond with full openness".
In line with the constitution, the prime minister may ask the Sejm for a confidence vote at any time during their term of office. If they survive the vote, this will show they still have a mandate to govern. Failure will oblige the prime minister to submit their resignation to the president.(PAP)
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