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Tusk can't count on support of Poland's ruling party: leader

PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek 28.02.2017 13:23
Donald Tusk cannot count on the support of Poland's ruling party in his run for a second term as president of the European Council, the party's leader has said.
Jarosław Kaczyński. Photo: PAP/Tomasz GzellJarosław Kaczyński. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, said Tusk had violated EU “principles of neutrality” regarding the internal affairs of EU countries.

Kaczyński said Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, openly supports the opposition, which "does not conceal that it wants to overthrow the government by unconstitutional means”.

“Someone who violates principles in this way cannot be the President of the European Council and absolutely cannot count on our support or our lack of objection,” Kaczyński added.

On Tuesday, the European People’s Party group, an alliance of centre-right parties in the European Parliament, including Poland’s opposition Civic Platform, confirmed that it would back Tusk for a second term as the head of the European Council.

His first two-and-a-half-year term is due to end on 31 May. An EU summit on 9-10 March is expected to determine whether Tusk will continue on for a second term.

He is currently the only official candidate.

During a recent meeting of EU leaders in Malta, Tusk said he was ready to continue in the role for a second term.

Tusk has in the past said that Poland should respect recommendations regarding concerns about the rule of law put forward by the Venice Commission, an international watchdog and advisory group to human rights body the Council of Europe.

Those concerns emerged after PiS introduced sweeping judicial and other changes following its election win in late 2015, when it ousted Tusk’s Civic Platform party, which had been in government for eight years.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that Warsaw has floated a plan to replace Tusk with another candidate for European Council president.

The paper added that Poland's ruling conservative PiS “has refused to support Mr Tusk’s re-election bid, partly due to the deep personal animosity between him and Jarosław Kaczyński, the party’s leader.” (vb/pk)

Source: PAP, IAR

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