Tusk says matter of "coup d’etat" remark is closed
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that Parliamentary Speaker Szymon Holownia’s recent remarks about a possible "coup d’etat" were likely a misunderstanding and that he considers the issue closed.
Holownia said last week that he had been repeatedly encouraged to delay the swearing-in of Karol Nawrocki as president, which he described as an attempted "coup d’etat." Asked who had made such suggestions, he said they came from people unhappy with the election result. The Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office announced that Holownia would be questioned in the coming days or weeks as a witness. The request was filed by lawyer Bartosz Lewandowski.
"Sometimes even the most serious people say things they haven’t fully thought through," Tusk told private broadcaster TVN24 on Wednesday. "But Speaker Holownia made an effort to explain publicly what was probably a misunderstanding, albeit a costly one for him. I consider the matter closed."
Tusk said he had no intention of challenging the election outcome and confirmed that coalition leaders had agreed the swearing-in should go ahead despite questions raised over vote-counting.
He also commented on Holownia’s meetings with the opposition, the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) politicians, calling them "a serious mistake." He said the meetings had not been previously disclosed to him and stressed that the stability of the government depended on the responsible conduct of coalition partners.
Outgoing President Andrzej Duda has said he will meet Holownia next week, shortly before the swearing-in of his successor, Karol Nawrocki.
Duda said on Wednesday in an interview with private broadcaster wPolsce24 that following Holownia’s controversial remarks, which sparked public debate, he had confirmed the meeting would go ahead as planned.
"In the public space, there has been talk that politicians and so-called experts have been pressuring the Speaker, encouraging him to look for ways to block the arrival of the newly elected president," Duda said.(PAP)mj/mf
