Polish president inaugurates post-election parliament
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
12.11.2015 14:14
President of Poland Andrzej Duda has launched the first session of the country's lower house of parliament following the 25 October general election.
President Andrzej Duda addresses Poland's lower house of parliament. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
“Elections are the most important element of democracy, and extensive participation in elections strengthens democracy,” the president said on Thursday, thanking Poles who voted last month.
“Voters backed a change,” he continued.
“That change entails the reform of various aspects of the state.”
Duda himself had belonged to the winning conservative Law and Justice party prior to his own victory in May's presidential election.
By law, he was compelled to step down from the party before taking up the post of head of state.
Law and Justice won an an absolute majority in the general election, the first time that this had occurred since the end of communism in 1989.
The grouping has 235 seats in the lower house of parliament, whereas the centrist Civic Platform party of outgoing prime minister Ewa Kopacz managed 138. Kukiz'15, a formation that includes several nationalists, took 42, while 28 went to the centrist Modern party, 16 to the Polish People's Party, which was the junior coalition partner in the outgoing government, and one to an MP respresenting the German minority.
Following President Duda's address, MPs swore a customary oath to serve the motherland, after which the outgoing prime minister was due to officially stand down. (nh/rk)