Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is calling for a confidence vote later this month to reaffirm his centrist coalition’s power in parliament.
The decision was made after Law and Justice-backed candidate Karol Nawrocki’s victory in the presidential election over the weekend, which many see as a signal of waning trust in the Tusk government.
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“I want everyone to see, including our opponents, at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the gravity of the moment, but that we do not intend to take a single step back,” Tusk said in a televised address on Monday.
“The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask in the parliament soon,” he said.
The vote is scheduled for June 11.
Tusk is taking a gamble on the confidence vote — the prime minister believes that his coalition remains united and determined enough to survive and reassert its mandate in opposition to the policies championed by Nawrocki.
Experts believe Tusk’s coalition will survive the confidence vote, but Law and Justice officials look forward to making every effort possible to destabilize the coalition and force a new election.
Nawrocki, an archconservative historian and former boxer who is a relative newcomer to politics, presents a clear opposition to Tusk’s Eurocentric, centrist, socially progressive government.
He was publicly endorsed by the White House in the run-up to the election and boasts policies that center the United States in foreign affairs compared to the European Union.
“Congratulations Poland, you picked a WINNER!” President Donald Trump wrote on social media following the election.
Nawrocki’s camp has spoken highly of Trump, seeking to emulate what it calls his movement back to “normality” in politics.
“We are starting the session in a new political reality,” Tusk told his Cabinet in Warsaw on Tuesday. “The political reality is new because we have a new president.”
“But the constitution, our obligations and the expectations of citizens have not changed. In Poland, the government rules, which is a great obligation and honor,” he said.
Nawrocki’s ascension to the presidency is a headache Tusk was hoping to avoid. The prime minister endorsed Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, a left-wing centrist and the mayor of Warsaw.
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Trzaskowski took the top spot in the first round of the presidential election but lost in the final round by a razor-thin margin.
He conceded defeat not long after the results were published, acknowledging Nawrocki’s victory but striking a distinctly crestfallen tone.
“I fought for us to build a strong, safe, honest, and empathetic Poland together,” Trzaskowski wrote on social media following his defeat. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to convince the majority of citizens of my vision for Poland. I’m sorry we didn’t win together.”
Nawrocki is set to take office in August.