President to accept Tusk resignation

Donald Tusk (lower left) with favourite to take over as new PM, Ewa Kopacz (front right): behind - foreign minister Radek Sikorski (left) and defence minister Tomasz Siemoniak: photo - PAP (archive)

The resignation comes on the heels of Tusk's election as president of the EU Council on 30 August, although a cabinet reshuffle had been promised since a wire-tapping scandal rocked the government in June.

Joanna Trzaska-Wieczorek, head of the president's press office, noted that from the moment Tusk's resignation is accepted, the constitution allows two weeks for a successor to be approved.

However, she indicated that the process would be swifter, “as the president believes that a quick stabilisation is necessary.”

The board of Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform party settled on Speaker of Parliament Ewa Kopacz as the prime minister's successor during a meeting on Wednesday night.

However, Komorowski commented that the board's choice is not necessarily 'binding' for him.

Civic Platform (PO) is set to continue its 7-year coalition with the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL).

Current PSL minister of agriculture Marek Sawicki has described Kopacz, who has also served as minister of health, as “an experienced politician” who is “fully qualified to be the head of the government.”

Joanna Trzaska-Wieczorek said that Komorowski will meet head of PSL Janusz Piechocinski, current deputy prime minister and economy minister, on Monday morning after the president returns from the current NATO summit in Wales.

During the meeting, the president will “determine the position of the coalition partner and confirm whether there is a joint PO-PSL coalition candidate for [the post of] prime minister.” (nh)

Source: IAR