Poland’s three largest opposition parties announced on Tuesday their readiness to form a coalition to replace the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party and requested President Andrzej Duda to allow them forming a government, Politico reported.
Today, together with the leaders of the democratic parties, we confirmed our readiness to fully cooperate and form a new majority in the future parliament.
Donald Tusk’s grouping, together with the centre-right Third Way and Left parties, has 248 seats in the 460-member lower house of parliament.
PiS emerged as the largest party in the 15 October election, winning 194 seats, but it still lacks the allies to gain the necessary parliamentary majority of 231 seats.
Duda stated that presidents traditionally choose the largest party to be the first to try to form a new government. He called Tuesday’s opposition meeting an attempt to circumvent tradition, emphasising that only they had the votes needed to run the country.
If Duda allows PiS to make the first attempt, the opposition coalition could only come to power in mid-December. Donald Tusk stated:
“We form a majority in parliament. With this information I will be able today, my colleagues tomorrow, to go to President Duda and reassure the president, and make his task easier, I think, in terms of the next constitutional steps. We are ready to form a government.”
Other leaders, such as Szymon Hołownia, leader of Poland 2050, expressed a desire for Duda to act quickly and stated that they strongly supported Tusk as the new leader of the government.
We appeal to President Duda not to waste a second of our time.
On Tuesday, Duda meets with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on behalf of the Law and Justice party, followed by a meeting with Tusk. The other parties are to meet with the president on Wednesday.
Duda, as a staunch ally of PiS, has avoided clarifying who he will nominate as the next prime minister. Opposition leaders have also urged him to convene the first session of the new parliament “as soon as possible.”
Under Poland‘s constitution, the president has 30 days after the election to convene a new parliament. The head of state then has 14 days to nominate a candidate for prime minister, who in turn has another 14 days to present his cabinet to parliament for a vote of confidence.
Leftist leader Włodzimierz Czarzasty stated:
Mr. President, let me tell you: the maneuvering is over. There is a majority in the parliament that will form a government.
Marcin Przydacz, a presidential minister, reminded the opposition that the president appoints the prime minister.
