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New government under PM Kopacz sworn in at Presidential Palace

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 22.09.2014 10:59
President Komorowski has officially sworn in the new cabinet under Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz, with changes made to five ministries and departments, ahead of local government elections.

President
President Bronislaw Komorowski with PM Ewa Kopacz, who was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Poland, along with new cabinet, Monday morning: photos - PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Radoslaw Sikorski, foreign minister for seven years under the Civic Platform-led coalition is now the candidate for speaker of the lower house of parliament and is being replaced at the head of the foreign ministry by Grzegorz Schetyna.

Cezary Grabarczyk takes over at the justice ministry and Teresa Piotrowska replaces Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz as interior minister.

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Before being sworn in as Poland's new prime minister – taking over from Donald Tusk, who is to become the president of the European Council in December – Ewa Kopacz, a former health minister, resigned her position as lower house of parliament speaker.

Prime Minister Kopacz is to seek a vote of confidence in the new government in parliament on 1 October.

'Surprise'

Advisor to President Komorowski, Tomasz Nałęcz has indicated that the removal of Radoslaw Sikorski as foreign minister came as a surprise to the Presidential Palace, when Ewa Kopacz informed Bronislaw Komorowski of the changes to the government last week.

“The president believes that during this difficult international situation [the crisis in Ukraine] the best option would be continuity,” Nałęcz told the TVN24 broadcaster on Sunday evening.

“The president was convinced that Sikorski is needed in the government as foreign minister,” he added.

Parliament will debate Sikorski's candidature for speaker of the lower house of parliament (Sejm), which is a non-cabinet post, on Wednesday.

The ruling centre-right Civic Platform will face a test of its popularity in nationwide local elections in November and a general election in the autumn of 2015. (pg)

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