Should Donald Tusk anoint Rafał Trzaskowski as prime minister of the future government and then step aside? This question has been asked a lot lately. There were even opinions that such a maneuver could give Civic Platform more support. It is true that the Civic Coalition voters themselves believe that no one can replace the current leader of the PO, not even the popular Trzaskowski, but wouldn’t they swallow such a change in the name of winning PiS? But would the former prime minister’s political ambitions, and they are huge, allow him to make such a decision? It seems that the whole discussion is related to the disclosure by “DGP” of C40 Cities recommendations, which have been particularly loud in recent days.
Tusk’s defeat
The main argument for Tusk to step aside and anoint Trzaskowski as the head of the future government after defeating PiS is PO-PSL’s eight-year rule, which weighs on the former prime minister. Tusk, as polls systematically show, is not trusted by Poland. Another thing is Trzaskowski, who is regularly at the forefront of trust rankings.
READ MORE: RESEARCH. President Andrzej Duda is the leader of the trust ranking! Rafał Trzaskowski and Prime Minister Morawiecki were on the podium
Experts also point out that Tusk is unpalatable, including for some opposition voters. Both those who support the left and those who sympathize with Szymon Hołownia’s Poland 2050 are reluctant to accept it. There are also studies showing that the Poles do not want Tusk to become prime minister again. You could even say they are afraid of it.
READ MORE:
– OUR RESEARCH. Tusk prime minister again? Very bad news for the leader of the Platform. More than half of respondents believe that “it would not have a positive impact on their lives”
– QUESTIONNAIRE. Trzaskowski or Tusk? Who do the Poles see as prime minister if the opposition wins the elections? A surprising third place
But the leaders of smaller opposition parties also distrust Tusk. Hence, for example, the fiasco of talks about a single opposition list. Their greatest fear was that sooner or later the PO would want to absorb their parties to a greater or lesser extent, as in the case of Nowoczesna. However, this was only one of many factors determining that the opposition was unlikely to appear on a single list. And this is undoubtedly a failure of Donald Tusk, because he failed to unite the opposition, which he spoke about so often. Szymon Hołownia was blamed for this. The PO’s last resort and attempt to put pressure on opposition leaders were polls that clearly showed that one list would crush the United Right. But that didn’t work either. The smaller opposition parties managed to resist the blackmail of the polls.
Trzaskowski for Tusk?
So what should the PO do, whose independent victory over President Jarosław Kaczyński’s camp is only given by a few polls, which nobody takes seriously anyway? This is where the idea arose to make Trzaskowski the leader of the PO and designate him as the one who will become the future head of government if the opposition wins the elections. This would allow the Platform to take a deep breath and add a few percentage points of support. That is the view of, for example, Prof. Antoni Dudek, who said in an interview with Kultura Liberalna that the problem with Tusk is that he is “not fit to be the leader of the new opposition, because he is getting old”.
If, instead of Tusk, the main face of the opposition had been someone ten, fifteen, twenty years his junior, the juxtaposition with Kaczyński would be astonishing. (…) If Donald Tusk announced in the spring of this year that he would not become prime minister, but Trzaskowski, KO would earn a few percent. It can also be death for Hołownia. Donald Tusk has a hugely negative electorate – and not because he was constantly attacked by PiS propaganda. Also because many people remember his rule and they didn’t like it for many reasons
– emphasized Prof. Hop.
In turn, in an interview with the same medium, sociologist Jarosław Flis responded to the question of whether “Platform would help if it bet on Trzaskowski”:
The question is who the Civic Platform is. Is it Tusk, is it Tusk’s back room, or is it MPs from the back rows? Tusk, of course, dreams of becoming prime minister. If he bet on Trzaskowski, the situation could be similar to Kaczyński’s in PiS. But Kaczyński is an unquestionable authority on his side. The question is whether Tusk would also remain a playmaker at home or, like Kwasniewski, would be put aside on the left. Nice, he comes over, talks, circulates in the media, but, “Olek, you don’t rule here anymore”, just to name a historical quote. However, Tusk may gain authority with this decision. That they would say: Donald, you saved us, you played it great, it got us the win – what do we do now? For now, the PO believes – or pretends to believe – that Tusk will lead them to such a triumph as in 2007, beat 30 percent, become Prime Minister. We’ll see how long this belief lasts, it depends on what the ratings will be.
“An opponent that is easy to attack”
An argument that is also often put forward and which should speak for such a “change” is that Tusk is simply an easier target than Trzaskowski. In fact, easier than anyone else. This is partially admitted by the President Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview with Jacek and Michał Karnowski in the latest issue of the weekly “Sieci”. When asked “who will be Law and Justice’s main opponent” in the upcoming election, the leader of the United Right replies:
Of course Civic Platform with Donald Tusk at the helm, it has some problems holding itself together, but everything points to it holding up until the election. This will be the most dangerous, but at the same time easy to attack opponent – just show his own actions and words. That’s why he attacks independent media for bringing it up. Tusk and PO hope that Poles have a short memory and that their courts, media and TVN will allow them to block talking about facts that do not suit them. That won’t work, especially as much of society remembers their reign as widespread poverty and massive unemployment. Going back to the question, the other sides are much weaker
– says President Kaczynski.
READ MORE: “NETWORK” INTERVIEW. President Jarosław Kaczyński: The opposition’s plan is ruined. “It will be elections for Poland’s independence”
As you can see, there are many arguments for Trzaskowski to become the main face of the PO, or even the entire opposition. But could Donald Tusk make such a decision? After all, his huge political ambitions are at stake. Because although the former prime minister states that he does not have to be head of government again after winning the elections, he does not hide that he is ready to take on this challenge. It’s also hard not to get the impression that Tusk and the PO want to credit themselves with victory. Replacing Tusk with Trzaskowski would negate the former’s merits. Ba! This could send him into political retirement, where he would be left to entertain his grandchildren and run more marathons. Because what’s the point of the Tusk Platform, if only he interfered in the victory?
Tusk, in my opinion, will not give up and will not budge. Hence my belief that the revelation of the C40 Cities recommendation by “DGP”, if not directly inspired by Tusk’s environs, certainly put a smile on the PO leader’s face for a while. It’s no secret that the relationship between the men is not the best. Trzaskowski now has to put out the fire and convince that these are just stupid recommendations and that no one will force the Poles to eat worms instead of pork neck. And Tusk is eloquently silent, although his party is also criticized. But it must also be admitted that while Trzaskowski’s political whims are certainly good for Tusk, it is also good for… PiS. Because while Trzaskowski isn’t a political heavyweight fighter like Tusk, he would certainly be a tougher opponent.
What does Trzaskowski want?
Finally, the question remains whether the president of Warsaw would want to take on such a role at all? Would he want to be the face of the PO and the opposition in an election battle where his clash with Andrzej Duda in the presidential campaign would come to nothing? I seriously doubt it. But Tusk probably prefers to nip all such digressions in the bud. It should also be taken into account that Trzaskowski is the incumbent mayor of Warsaw. So, in addition to his presidential duties, he would have to add participation in a murderous election campaign. And what about Warsaw? And while Trzaskowski still has to face accusations from PiS councilors that he is doing little, it must be admitted that such questions would carry a much greater burden in this case. It seems that Tusk will remain the main face of the PO until the end and that Trzaskowski will prepare for the presidential fight in 2025.
Source: wPolityce