Duda appoints new Polish government, Morawiecki stays as PM
Polish President Andrzej Duda has officially appointed Mateusz Morawiecki, who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2017, as the head of a proposed new government, Duda's office reported on Nov. 27.
"This is a time of great challenges, and they should be undertaken by energetic people with skills and experience," Duda said at the appointment ceremony.
Morawiecki's Law and Justice (PiS) party won the most seats in the Oct. 15 parliamentary elections but failed to gain an outright majority, winning 194 seats in a 460-member parliament.
In Poland, the largest party is usually given the initial right to attempt to form a government.
Morawiecki will now have two weeks to get a vote of confidence from the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament.
Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak also kept his position in the government while other ministries have received new chiefs. Duda said it was "extremely encouraging" to see that the cabinet has more female than male ministers.
It is unlikely that the Sejm will give the new government a vote of confidence.
Leszek Miller, a member of the European Parliament and former prime minister of Poland, compared how long the new government will last to the lifespan of a housefly, which exists for around 28 days.
"It reaches the larval stage within 14 days. After another few days, it becomes a pupa and then an adult and lays eggs. Morawiecki's government won't even have time to pupate, let alone lay eggs," Miller posted on X.
Opposition leader Donald Tusk proposed a three-party coalition on Oct. 24 involving center-right and left parties, which would have 248 seats in total.
Poland has been roundly supportive of Ukraine across the political spectrum, including from PiS, though tensions have risen in recent months following diplomatic spats relating to trade issues.
Morawiecki said on Sept. 20 amid a dispute on Ukrainian grain that Poland is not sending more weapons to Ukraine as it needs to rearm itself.
Tusk has also called for unwavering support for Ukraine, saying that a Ukrainian victory was in Poland's national interest.
