Tusk to call no-confidence vote after conservatives' victory in Poland

He stated that he is willing to cooperate with the new president "as necessary and to the extent possible."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Tuesday, following the election of conservative Karol Nawrocki as head of state in Sunday's presidential elections, that he will soon call a parliamentary vote of no confidence to demonstrate that his centrist-liberal coalition is not willing to back down "even one step."

In a televised speech, Tusk emphasized that his government is ready to cooperate with the new president "as necessary and as far as possible," but that he is prepared for the possibility that Nawrocki might adopt a blocking stance.

"The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will soon ask Parliament for," he stated, adding that the goal is for everyone, both abroad and at home, to see that the government "understands the gravity of the moment" but is not prepared "to take a single step back."

The announcement comes the day after the presidential elections, where Nawrocki, with the support of the largest opposition party, the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), narrowly defeated Tusk-backed candidate, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.

In his message, the prime minister acknowledged the possibility of a "difficult cohabitation" with the new president, after cooperation with the previous head of state, fellow conservative Andrzej Duda, was marked by disagreements and deadlocks.

"I realize it may be more difficult than many of you anticipated when you went to vote yesterday, but this doesn't change in the slightest my determination and willingness to act in defense of everything we believe in together," he emphasized.

The prime minister asserted that his government had already prepared a "contingency plan" to deal with the new president and emphasized that if it comes to governing with a head of state who tries to block "good changes," his administration already has "experience."

However, in response to Tusk's message of unity, Szymon Hoownia, Speaker of the Parliament and leader of Poland 2050, one of the parties in the governing alliance, announced a meeting with the other coalition leaders.

Before Tusk's televised address, he had expressed his hope that the "coalition agreement would be renegotiated and conclusions drawn" during the electoral process "as soon as possible," in a context in which many analysts have speculated that Nawrocki's election could trigger a government crisis.

Furthermore, Hoownia described Tusk's idea of ​​seeking a vote of confidence, which had already been unofficially suggested by some media outlets such as Polsat, as a "bad idea" and a "theatrical gesture."

The leader of Poland 2050 argued that the government already has a majority in Parliament and that, on the contrary, to demonstrate their understanding of the situation, they should "seek renewed openness and present a work plan to the people."

PiS leader Jarosaw Kaczyski, for his part, suggested that Tusk should resign after receiving a "red card" in the presidential elections and that a technical government of national unity should be formed.