Tusk government in office - all set for a new Poland?
Donald Tusk is once again Poland's prime minister. On Tuesday he was sworn in as head of his new government comprising the liberal-conservative Civic Coalition (KO), the Christian-agrarian PSL, the centrist Polska 2050 and the leftist alliance Lewica. His predecessor Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) failed in a confidence vote on Monday. Commentators voice relief, but also highlight the many challenges ahead.
Use this leap of faith
The new government must not squander this opportunity, Gazeta Wyborcza warns:
“The PiS is leaving the democrats with Augean stables in virtually every area of public life. ... The most urgent issues are the restoration of elementary standards for the public media, the release of funds from the National Reconstruction Plan and the restoration of the rule of law. No one will complain about a lack of work. The main thing is not to quarrel and not to squander the opportunity offered by this huge leap of faith by the people, because the people will not forgive you if you do.”
A stable partner
The fall of the PiS government is good news for the West, Helsingin Sanomat writes:
“For the liberal opponents of the PiS, the change of power was a historic day. Poland is also becoming a more stable partner for the EU. And the change of power is also big news for Poland's neighbour Ukraine. ... Poland will continue to be a self-confident country with a strong presence in the EU and Nato. The country bears great responsibility for the Ukrainian refugees and is fighting on its eastern border against the hybrid threat posed by Russia and Belarus. A strong, democratic Poland is much needed in the Western camp.”
An exemplary European
El País has high expectations for the new prime minister:
“Coming at a time when the advancing far right is putting pressure on conservative parties worldwide and pushing them towards extremism, his success is a hopeful message with ramifications for the European Parliament elections next June - especially since it comes from one of the largest and strategically most important countries in the EU. ... To make up for eight lost years, Tusk must depoliticise the judiciary, restore the independence of the public media, strengthen women's rights and combat the homophobia promoted by the PiS. ... His speech, in which he equated the strength and sovereignty of Poland with the strength and sovereignty of a united Europe, was exemplary.”
Friends of Ukraine in power
The new government is raising hopes in Kyiv, writes BBC News Ukraina:
“Recently, relations between Poland and Ukraine have cooled, largely due to the actions of the Polish authorities. The symbol of Ukrainian-Polish relations is currently the border between the two countries, which has been blocked by Polish hauliers. Tusk announced that he considers finding a solution to this problem a priority and formed an inter-agency group to deal with the issue before his government was confirmed. Another piece of good news: Radosłav Sikorski, who has a reputation in Kyiv as a staunch supporter of Ukraine and in Moscow as a notorious Russophobe, will become foreign minister.”
Big responsibilities, big challenges
Interia sees the new head of government facing a Herculean task:
“Donald Tusk has a threefold responsibility. He must show that he is not only capable of managing the chaos he has inherited, but also of transforming it in practice and effectively. Secondly, he must muster the strength to lead a coalition government in which over time there will naturally be conflicts and attempts by individuals to raise their own profile; the resistance of the left to raising the tax-free allowance is an early symptom. ... And thirdly, he cannot avoid reflecting on the real reasons for the failure of liberal democracy a few years ago and the dangers that continue to simmer in Western civilisation, where populism is not dead but resurging right now.”
Showing how populism can be defeated
According to the Tages-Anzeiger, Poland will serve as a role model for other states and civil societies:
“The switch back to Donald Tusk is the most important political turning point for Poland and in some respects also for Europe since 1989. ... At a time when democracy is being dismantled, an election result like the one in Poland has a comforting effect. It shows that all the painful wounds to the state system can be healed, that one election day is enough to put an end to eight years of destruction. ... Poland will be able to take on a leading role in the concert of European states - as a role model for overcoming a populist infection; as an example for other civil societies.”
Cohabitation will be a headache for EU
Tusk faces major challenges, the Irish Independent emphasises:
“But he has it all to do to overcome the legacy of eight years' rule by the nationalistic Law and Justice Party (PiS). … There will also be the difficulty of the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, who is aligned to the PiS. ... So-called 'political cohabitation' experienced in France in recent decades, always brings headaches for the European Union. … A crucial test will be his ability to unblock that [frozen] EU aid which PiS insisted during the election campaign amounted to Brussels' interference in Poland's democratic processes. Despite the positive EU vibes, the message from Brussels is blunt: declarations of intent will not suffice - real action for change is required.”
Luckily Poland won't be a pushover
Die Welt points out that the change of government is also a great opportunity for the EU:
“Not least because the new government will by no means be easy to deal with. On migration and energy policy it will take a harder line than Von der Leyen's EU or the SPD and Greens. Just as it will act independently in all areas. Germany and the EU are particularly skilled at sanding down edges. Poland will put up resistance. And that's a good thing.”
Please step down, Mr Kaczyński
Michał Szułdrzyński writes an open letter to the leader of the voted-out PiS in Rzeczpospolita:
“Several months ago, Jaroslaw Kaczyński promised that he would not stand for re-election when his term as PiS leader came to an end. Today, he has become the biggest liability for his party. And not only for his party, but also for Poland. So perhaps the time has come to say goodbye, Mr Kaczyński, to leave the party to its own devices and go into political retirement. And you know it, too.”