WRAPUP: Tusk reshuffles his government
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday announced broad changes to his cabinet line-up naming a new deputy prime minister, several new ministers, and establishing two new 'super-ministries' in the long-awaited government reshuffle.
The changes came in the wake of the victory in Poland's presidential election last month of the right-wing Karol Nawrocki, backed by the opposition. Although Tusk's government secured a confidence vote, the ruling coalition remains fragile exposing cracks, losing popularity in voter opinion polls and expecting tensions with the new president.
"After the political earthquake that was the presidential election... it is time to take up anew the challenges we faced after October 15 (the victory in parliamentary election - PAP) and move with additional energy to realise this beautiful dream of our secure Poland," Tusk said when presenting the changes.
"Enough whining, nothing has happened that would invalidate any of these great dreams and great goals," he added.
Another aim of the reconstruction, Tusk said, is to sort out the situation inside the ruling coalition. He vowed to put an end to internal conflicts. "If someone does not like it, he will need to say goodbye to his job," he said.
As part of Wednesday's reshuffle, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was promoted to deputy prime minister while keeping his post as foreign minister.
Waldemar Zurek will take over from Adam Bodnar as justice minister.
In agriculture, Stefan Krajewski will replace Czeslaw Siekierski as minister.
Izabela Leszczyna will lose her post of health minister to Jolanta Sobieranska-Grenda.
Marta Cienkowska will be the new minister of culture, replacing Hanna Wroblewska.
Marcin Kierwinski will become the new minister of internal affairs and administration and the current interior minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, will be responsible for coordinating secret services and for combatting illegal migration.
Sports Minister Slawomir Nitras will be replaced by Jakub Rutnicki.
Maciej Berek has been offered the post of minister for overseeing the implementation of government policy.
Wojciech Balczun will take over as minister of state assets from Jakub Jaworowski.
An expanded Ministry of Finance and Economy will be led by the current Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski.
A new Ministry of Energy, combining the competencies of climate and environment ministry and industry ministry, will be headed by Milosz Motyka.
The swearing-in ceremony for new ministers will follow on Thursday and the first meeting of the new government will be held on Friday, Tusk said.
He also admitted that although the ruling coalition managed to build a government of consensus, it was over-represented. He said that the reconstruction will "slim down" the government, from 26 to 21 ministers without portfolio, which would be followed by reductions among their deputies.
It is the first cabinet reshuffle in the Tusk government since its appointment in December 2023. The ruling coalition now comprises four separate parties, The Left, Tusk's centrist Civic Coalition, the centre-right Poland 2050 and the agrarian Polish People's Party.
It took the ruling coalition two months since plans of changes to the government lineup were first announced, likely due to friction between the parties and their ministerial ambitions. (PAP)mmr/aj/mf
