Polish government wins vote of confidence after presidential setback
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the vote after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election, raising concerns that the government could be weakened.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk
Poland's government won a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday, seeking to show it still has majority support even after suffering a major setback in the recent presidential election.
The prime minister, Donald Tusk, announced the vote after Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election, which apparently weakened the government, leading to early elections.
"I ask for a vote of confidence because I have the conviction, faith and trust that we have a mandate to govern," Tusk said at the start of Wednesday's parliamentary session.
After several hours of debate, 243 of Parliament's 460 lawmakers voted in favor of Tusk, who came to power in 2023 at the head of a coalition between his centrist Civic Platform, Poland 2050, the Polish People's Party (PSL) and New Left.
However, the prime minister will face an uphill task once Nawrocki, an admirer of President Donald Trump, is sworn in in August. The next parliamentary elections are not scheduled until 2027.
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Poland, the right to veto and its "fast-growing" economy
Poland, an EU and NATO member with 38 million inhabitants, is a fast-growing economy and has become an increasingly important regional player since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Polish presidents have some influence over foreign and defense policy, but their main power is the right to veto legislation passed by parliament.
Nawrocki and Tusk's "pro-green" agenda
On the international front, it could also hamper ties with Brussels and Ukraine, as the president-elect opposes Kyiv's NATO membership.
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