Polish media is this week full of rumours that Donald Tusk is preparing to step down as prime minister, perhaps as early as next year. That would be well ahead of national elections planned for late 2027.
This is hardly surprising in the wake of the liberal establishment’s devastating presidential election defeat, which came amid—and, in doing so, further underlined—its failures with regard to border control and economic maintenance. Mounting differences within the governing coalition also highlight the instability of Tusk’s position, with talk growing that one coalition partner could defect to the conservative side. And the public is not at all convinced that a planned government reshuffle will resolve any of these problems.
Indeed, it appears the question is now not “if”—and certainly not “why”—but “when.” One of Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO) colleagues told Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that “we certainly can’t repeat the mistake with Ewa Kopacz,” whose PO government resigned following its 2015 election defeat, which itself came after a(nother) scandal over leaked tapes.
The change was late, poorly planned, and even more poorly executed.
Edyta Kazikiewicz, from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) press office, said these comments were “classic”:
When things get heated, Tusk is the first to use the emergency exit.
MEP Beata Kempa (ECR) also jibed that reports made for a “pleasant morning news roundup,” adding: “Nothing will help these political failures and troublemakers anymore. … The sooner they leave, the better!”
Jaka miła prasówka z rana😊Tylko, że tym politycznym nieudacznikom i awanturnikom już nic nie pomoże. Każdy dzień Ich trwania i zarządzania przez konflikt z kodem permanentnej nienawiści – to powolne wygaszanie Polski. Im szybciej odejdą tym lepiej❗️ https://t.co/6xw7RqR4t9
Of course, the establishment’s problems would not end simply as a result of Tusk resigning. If he does so, the current PM may then struggle to hand power to someone he believes is a suitable replacement. Rzeczpospolitanotes, for example, that one likely candidate, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, could be reluctant to “take over the bankrupt estate and the mess [Tusk] would leave behind.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
