Changes unfold as Razem weighs support in new Polish government

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Without the funds to carry out the Together program, he would not join the government. Yet the plan to engage the new cabinet will be met with a calm, strategic approach, stated Adrian Zandberg, co-chair of the Razem party, in an interview with PAP. He made clear that Razem would not back the Morawiecki government. In the same conversation, Zandberg was asked which administration Razem would support in the coming days, whether it would be Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s cabinet or the coalition backed by Donald Tusk, supported by KO, PSL, Polska 2050 and Nowa Lewica.

PiS had years to address the housing crisis, deliver meaningful budget gains, and reduce job insecurity. Instead, the party tightened anti abortion rules, engaged in divisive politics, and ultimately caused a withdrawal of European funds, a consequence Poland felt acutely. For these reasons, Morawiecki cannot count on Razem’s votes. On October 15, a clear majority of Poles chose to move PiS to the opposition, an outcome that should be respected, the party’s representative argued.

As Zandberg underscored: the new government’s top task must be to unlock European funds. If this is delayed, some money could be at risk. Normalizing relations with the European Union is urgent, which is why Razem pressed for a government change at the earliest feasible moment and pledged to repeatedly advocate for a confidence vote in the new cabinet in parliamentary sessions.

“The priority is funds for the Together program”, he stated.

During the coalition talks it was not possible to reach agreement with the PO and the Third Way on allocating 1 percent of GDP to housing or raising health spending to 8 percent of GDP. Without funds to deliver the Together program, Razem would not join the government. Still, the party intends to engage constructively with the new cabinet and to keep pressing in Parliament on the campaign promises shared by all opposition groups during the election campaign, Zandberg noted.

Morawiecki’s new government

At the end of November, President Andrzej Duda swore in the new government led by Mateusz Morawiecki following the parliamentary elections in what was described as the first constitutional step. On Monday, December 11, the Prime Minister is scheduled to present a statement to the Sejm asking for a vote of confidence. If the motion fails to secure a majority, the Sejm would shift its focus to the process of selecting a new prime minister and government.

The potential majority of 248 MPs rests with the KO, Third Way, and Left coalition, with Donald Tusk seen as the candidate for prime minister. On Monday at 4:30 p.m., lawmakers will vote to elect the prime minister in the second constitutional step. A debate will follow, and then the vote on the prime minister’s appointment.

On Tuesday, December 12 at 9 a.m., the new prime minister will present the action program and the government’s composition, along with a proposal for appointing the Council of Ministers. The schedule shows the vote taking place at 3 p.m. The Sejm elects the prime minister and the council of ministers by an absolute majority of votes in the presence of at least half of the legal number of deputies.

READ ALSO: The end of political romance? Will PSL participate in local elections alongside the Hołownia party? A decision by year-end.

Attribution: wPolityce

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