Early Monday, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is prepared to address the Sejm with an exposé as MPs prepare to vote on a confidence motion for his government. If the government fails to win a majority, a second constitutional step shifts the lead to the Sejm, which would oversee the process of naming a new prime minister. The proposed common candidate is Donald Tusk, backed by KO, PSL, Polski 2050, and the Left, together holding 248 seats in the chamber.
In late November, after parliamentary elections in October, President Andrzej Duda swore in the Morawiecki cabinet, established in the first constitutional phase. On Monday at 10:00 Morawiecki will present the government’s program and seek the Sejm’s vote of confidence. After the Prime Minister’s remarks, MPs will have ten minutes to speak for each party and five minutes for each group. The confidence vote for Morawiecki’s government is scheduled for 15:00, following the discussions.
The second constitutional step
If Morawiecki’s government does not obtain confidence, and the PiS faction commands 191 MPs, not enough for a majority, a second constitutional step will be triggered. This step moves the initiative to the Sejm, which will consider electing a new prime minister and forming a new government. The coalition backing Donald Tusk, consisting of KO, PSL, Polski 2050 and the Left, has the numbers to assemble a new administration, totaling 248 MPs.
According to the Sejm timetable, after the confidence vote the chamber will pause for a break of about ninety minutes to allow nominations for the post of prime minister in the second step. Any group with at least 46 MPs can propose a candidate. After nominations, MPs proceed to elect the prime minister in the second constitutional step. A debate follows, and at 20:00 the vote on the prime minister will take place. The Sejm elects the prime minister and the ministers they nominate by an absolute majority, with at least half of the legal number of deputies present.
Recently, the Sejm amended its rules so that the second-step vote is conducted with voting devices and a show of hands. Previously, ballots were cast with signed ballots placed in ballot boxes.
Looking ahead, on Tuesday, December 12 at 09:00, the new prime minister will present the action program and the proposed cabinet, including the lineup of ministers. The schedule has the vote on the new cabinet set for December 15. By Friday, the composition of Donald Tusk’s proposed government had been announced.
On Friday, after meeting with potential ministers, Donald Tusk expressed hope that the oath ceremony for the new government would occur on Wednesday, December 13. He stressed that the timing is driven by the importance of swift decisions in Brussels on issues such as Ukraine and the border situation. The European Council meeting is planned for December 14 and 15 in Brussels. Earlier, Marcin Mastalerek, head of the President’s Office, hinted that the prime minister would be determined in the weeks ahead and scheduled for December. (Source: wPolityce).
The Chairman: I will not postpone it
On December 1, President Andrzej Duda stated that the government appointment would follow constitutional rules and deadlines. The president emphasized a firm commitment not to delay the process. A few days earlier, Wojciech Kolarski, a member of the government staff, noted that if the second step proceeds as announced by the Sejm’s leader and the Sejm’s published schedule, the earliest swearing-in could be December 13. He explained that the president would return from a prior trip to Switzerland on the evening of December 12, and that he and his wife might participate in a high-level gathering marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Kolarski also mentioned that if the new prime minister is determined with resolve, an oath on December 14 could be feasible. He added that morning hours would be possible given that the European Council meeting would begin in the evening. The sequence of events began with President Duda appointing a new Morawiecki government on November 27, formed after the October elections in the first constitutional step. Within fourteen days of the cabinet swearing-in, the Prime Minister must submit a confidence statement to the Sejm, setting a deadline of December 11 for that submission.
If the first step fails to establish a government, the Sejm takes the initiative and elects the prime minister and government members, after which the president would appoint the government and administer the oath. In the October 15 Sejm elections, PiS won 194 seats, KO secured 157, Trzecia Droga gathered 65, New Left 26, and Konfederacja 18. (Citation: wPolityce).
gah/PAP
Source attribution: wPolityce