Consultations in the presidential palace and the presidential pace of events
The opposition has repeatedly asserted its devotion to democracy and the Constitution, yet critics argue that when political interests clash with those claims, the proclaimed values appear to be sidelined. In the wake of the elections, prominent figures such as Donald Tusk and Tomasz Siemoniak urged President Duda to entrust the opposition with the task of forming a new government without delay. Recently, Michał Kołodziejczak, a new member of the Civic Coalition, publicly shared his arguments on the matter via social media channels.
Consultations at the Presidential Palace
On Tuesday and Wednesday, at the invitation of the Head of State, consultations will be held at the Presidential Palace with representatives from the various electoral commissions that will be represented in the upcoming Sejm. Each election committee will meet separately, following the order corresponding to their results in the elections.
President Andrzej Duda plans to address not only the procedural questions surrounding the elections and the process of forming a government but also broader issues. He intends to speak on matters that are of national importance, both on the international stage and in the most pressing domestic political spheres, as described by the KPRP spokesperson Małgorzata Paprocka.
The constitution lays out three possible paths for forming a government after an election. In the first scenario, the president plays a central role by convening a session of the Sejm and the Senate within thirty days of the election. During the Sejm’s opening session of the new term, the incumbent prime minister must resign, and the president must accept the resignation. A government that is in a state of dismissal continues to operate until a new cabinet is appointed.
Following that, the president designates a prime minister and forms the government. Historically, presidents have tended to appoint individuals aligned with the party that won the election. When appointing the prime minister, the president must ensure that the proposed government will secure an absolute majority in the Sejm to obtain a vote of confidence. If the Council of Ministers fails to secure confidence, the Sejm may initiate a process to form a government on its own initiative.
In this constitutional variant, a group of at least 46 MPs can nominate a candidate for prime minister. The Sejm then elects the prime minister by an absolute majority in the presence of at least half of the legal number of deputies. The head of government presents the government’s program and the proposed cabinet to the Sejm, which must vote by an absolute majority in the presence of at least half of the legal deputies to grant confidence. The Sejm has fourteen days to complete the vote on the prime minister and the government.
If the Sejm fails to form a government, the president may appoint the prime minister and, at the prime minister’s request, other ministers within fourteen days and administer their oath. After presidential appointment, the Council of Ministers has fourteen days to secure a vote of confidence in the Sejm. In this step, the Sejm grants confidence to the government by a simple majority vote in the presence of at least half of the legal deputies, since an absolute majority is required in the previous steps.
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– Is Tusk prematurely celebrating victory? Meaningful remarks from Przydacz: PiS won the elections and its attempt to form a government cannot be denied
— The president will invite all committees for consultation in the coming week. Separate meetings will be held, one after another.
— The KPRP minister states plainly that the president will not rush or yield to pressure. There is an unusual time pressure, he notes.
Kołodziejczak’s assertive stance
There is a perception that Michał Kołodziejczak, along with his new colleagues in the Civic Coalition, does not fully acknowledge the president’s thirty-day window from election day to convene a parliamentary session and nominate a prime minister. Instead, he has been outspoken in criticizing not only the head of state but also the politicians of Law and Justice.
The president received a pen from PiS, while some observers suggest that the country expects a practical, procedural approach from the president to manage the transition, akin to an abacus for weighing options.
– said Michał Kołodziejczak.
Kołodziejczak represents voters aligned with the Civic Coalition in the Sejm. His statements have sparked discussions about the appropriate tempo and method for forming a government after an election.
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– Tusk is already striving to show admiration for President Duda: an urgent appeal is made as people await the initial decisions
– There are no immediate results, yet Siemoniak has already announced that opposition leaders should approach the president and nominate a candidate for prime minister
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Source: wPolityce