After the polls closed in Poland’s election in mid-October, the mainstream media (MSM) unanimously declared that the conservative ruling PiS party had been ousted by the returning former liberal PM, Donald Tusk.
While this outcome is somewhat probable, it is important to note that, according to the Polish constitution, the ruling PiS party has the first opportunity to form the new government as the most voted party.
Current Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is not giving up. He aims to win over opposition party members who share similar views on key issues.
According to Reuters, Morawiecki stated, “I’m not giving up. I want to appeal to those MPs from the Third Way, Confederation, and other clubs who care about social and sovereignty programs and the issue of fighting illegal migration.”
Morawiecki’s Law and Justice (PiS) party secured the most seats with 194 in the October parliamentary elections but fell short of a majority in the 460-seat lower house (Sejm).
It is indeed true that three pro-European opposition parties collectively won 248 seats. It is rumored that they would be willing to form a cabinet led by opposition leader Donald Tusk.
Morawiecki acknowledges these efforts by the opposition, saying, “The opposition is trying to find an agreement. I see it, I take note of it, and I know how to count. But perhaps if we present the risks and opportunities, we will gain the support of new MPs. Poles decided that we had achieved the highest result. At the same time, they said: this time you have to look for a coalition partner. We are obliged to make such an attempt.”
The only viable path to victory for the Prime Minister seems to be attracting Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the head of the agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL), who holds 65 seats.
Although Kosiniak-Kamysz has previously denied the possibility of forming a coalition with PiS, Morawiecki believes he can persuade him otherwise.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media is concerned about the delay in what they had already celebrated as a victory.
The New York Times reported, “More than two weeks after their victory, the opposition has still not been asked to form a government by Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, who is an ally of Law and Justice.”
According to the constitution, President Duda has 30 days from Election Day to make a decision, and supporters of the defeated party are now using this time to try to delay or even overturn the consequences of their electoral defeat.
Daniel Milewski, a member of Parliament for the governing party, appealed to President Duda to prevent Donald Tusk from becoming prime minister and vowed that Law and Justice “will do everything to stop this from happening.”
Some centrists accuse Tusk of having ties to Russian intelligence and predict that allowing the opposition to take power would risk World War III.
Ryszard Terlecki, another senior Law and Justice legislator, warned of dire consequences, including an increase in LGBTQ activism described as a “rainbow flood,” if the opposition were allowed to form a government. However, he assured supporters that “all is not lost” and “we still have hope” that right-wing forces might be able to form a coalition government “that will prevent the catastrophe.”