The forthcoming phase of talks between President Andrzej Duda and members of electoral commissions has begun. Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Coalition and head of the PO party, arrived at the presidential palace accompanied by delegates from the KO coalition and the Greens as part of the opposition’s efforts to influence the process.
During Tuesday and Wednesday, the president invited the electoral commissions that will be represented in the upcoming Sejm to sessions. Each committee will meet separately and in the order determined by their results from the recent elections. The president indicated that he would seek input from politicians on plans for investment, the economy, energy and defense, and he would also discuss potential candidates for prime minister.
In the afternoon, at 2 p.m., the PO leader arrived at the presidential residence as a representative of the Civic Coalition and the Greens and as the opposition candidate for prime minister. The attendees included Barbara Nowacka from the Polish Initiative, Adam Szłapka of Nowoczesna, Urszula Zielińska from Greens, and Marcin Kierwiński from PO.
Besides President Duda, the meeting was attended by the Head of the Presidential Chancellery, Grażyna Ignaczak-Bandych, Presidential Ministers Małgorzata Paprocka and Wojciech Kolarski, and the new Head of the President’s Office, Marcin Mastalerek.
Consultation in the palace
At noon, the first representatives from the Law and Justice Commission to participate in the discussions with the president were Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Ryszard Terlecki, the head of the PiS club, and party spokesman Rafał Bochenek. Morawiecki is the PiS candidate for prime minister.
On Wednesday at 11 a.m., the president was to meet with representatives from the KKW Trzecia Droga Polish People’s Party – Poland 2050, led by Szymon Hołownia, followed by a 1 p.m. session with KW Nowa Lewica and a 3 p.m. session with KW Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległości.
In the latest Sejm results, PiS held 194 seats, KO 157, Third Way 65, New Left 26, and Confederacy 18.
The constitution provides for three potential steps in forming a government after elections. Initially, the president plays a central role, appointing the prime minister and presenting a government that must win an absolute majority in the Sejm to secure a vote of confidence. If this attempt fails, the Sejm takes the lead, and the prime minister and government must gain an absolute majority with at least half of the legal deputy count present for a vote of confidence. If parliamentarians cannot form a government, the initiative returns to the president, and a simple majority is needed for a confidence vote.
READ MORE: Talks between PiS representatives and the president at the presidential palace. The parties stated their willingness to pursue a majority coalition.
SEE ALSO: Joint statement by Tusk, Hołownia, Czarzasty and Kosiniak-Kamysz confirming readiness for full cooperation