Warsaw: Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government survived a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, shoring up its mandate after the nationalist opposition’s victory in Poland’s presidential election deepened political gridlock and raised doubts about Tusk’s ability to deliver on key reforms.
Lawmakers voted 243-210 in favour of the government in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house, with supporters rising to applaud Tusk and chant his name. Tusk had requested the vote, saying Poland is in a new reality and that he was seeking a fresh opening, following the June 1 loss of Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski — his close ally — to nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki.
Nawrocki is set to replace Andrzej Duda, another conservative who repeatedly blocked Tusk’s reform efforts.