WARSAW: Poland’s liberal opposition that secured a majority in the general election said on Tuesday it was ready to form a coalition and urged the country’s conservative president to entrust it with forging a new government.
Opposition leader Donald Tusk, while confirming that he would be the bloc’s prime minister candidate, said that he was counting on constructive cooperation with the president and on quick decisions. The Polish public is waiting for it, AFP news agency reported.
Poland’s ruling populist Law and Justice (PiS) party emerged first after the 15 October election but fell short of a parliamentary majority and has little chance of forming a coalition.
Poland’s President Starts Meetings
On Tuesday, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, allied with PiS, started a series of meetings with party leaders to determine whom he would ask to form a government.
The leaders of the liberal opposition parties have jointly urged Duda to nominate Tusk.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, co-leader of the centrist Third Way party, said that they are determined to form a majority.
He said that they would assure the president that they have a majority to elect the prime minister and to appoint the speaker of the lower house of parliament Sejm, and the Senate.
Civic Platform and Third Way intend to form an alliance with Left, the three parties jointly having 248 legislators in the 460-seat parliament.
Tusk, formerly president of the European Council (EC) and Poland’s prime minister, is set to travel to Brussels on Wednesday.
During the election campaign, he pledged to rebuild ties with the EU and to unblock funds frozen due to an ongoing standoff over the rule of law in Poland.
