Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government confronts a pivotal parliamentary confidence vote, seeking to stabilise his fractious coalition after a bruising presidential election defeat, Euractiv reports.
The vote, triggered by conservative Karol Nawrocki’s razor-thin victory (50.89%) over Tusk’s ally Rafał Trzaskowski (49.11%) on 1 June, threatens to unravel Poland’s ruling alliance unless Tusk secures unanimous support from all four coalition partners.
Tusk’s survival hinges on appeasing restive allies who have seized the moment to advance their agendas. The centrist Poland 2050 party, led by Sejm Marshal Szymon Hołownia, insists he retain the speakership for the entire parliamentary term, scrapping the coalition’s original power-sharing agreement with the Left.
The party tabled five non-negotiable demands: depoliticising state media, banning smartphones in primary schools, funding disability support, investing in social housing, and ending patronage in state-owned firms.
If Tusk prevails, Nawrocki’s presidency still dooms much of his legislative agenda. The national-oriented leader—endorsed by Donald Trump and due to take office on 6 August—vowed to veto progressive reforms on abortion rights, judicial independence, and LGBTQ+ partnerships, leveraging powers that require a parliamentary majority to override.
The vote occurs against a backdrop of alleged electoral irregularities. Kraków officials confirmed candidate vote totals were “swapped” in one district’s official records—a revelation that prompted Trzaskowski’s campaign manager Wiola Paprocka to demand Supreme Court intervention.
We will contact the PKW [National Electoral Commission] to clarify each of these cases.
