On Monday, Poland’s parliament backed Donald Tusk to become the next prime minister in a 248-201 vote. Tusk is a former European Council president and has vowed to mend relations with Brussels over democratic standards.

• Tusk’s election marks the end of eight years of rule under the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lost a vote of confidence on Monday ahead of Tusk’s election. PiS boosted Poland’s minimum wage and considers itself a defender of the Polish identity, but critics have accused the PiS of disseminating propaganda through state-owned media and harboring prejudice against minority groups. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called Tusk a “German agent” after his election as prime minister.
• One of Tusk’s main objectives is unblocking frozen EU funds through judicial reforms. Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Monday that passing judicial reform legislation to access these funds is unconstitutional. Analysts noted that many Polish judges were appointed during a PiS overhaul and President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, retains veto power. Regardless of judicial reforms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Tusk’s commitment to forging a stronger Europe.

Read More:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/all-eyes-polish-parliament-tusk-set-become-pm-2023-12-11/