Polish President Andrzej Duda announced on Monday that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will have the opportunity to form a new government following the victory of his Law and Justice (PiS) party in the Oct. 15 election. However, the party lacks a majority, making the task seem impossible.
The nationalist PiS emerged with the most seats in the lower house of parliament, but fell short of a majority. All other parties have rejected the idea of forming a coalition with them.
An alliance of opposition parties led by Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform and a pro-European Union group, holds a clear majority. Despite this, Duda stated that he will adhere to tradition and allow the party with the largest number of seats to have the first opportunity to form a government.
PRESIDENT’S ROLE
According to the Polish Constitution, the president has 30 days from election day to convene the initial session of the new parliament. Subsequently, they have 14 days to nominate a candidate for prime minister.
Duda has chosen to schedule the parliamentary session for the latest possible date, Nov. 13. On Monday, he announced that Morawiecki will be granted the first chance to form a government.
Morawiecki will have 14 days from the first parliamentary sitting to present his cabinet and an additional 14 days to outline his program to parliament and secure its vote of confidence.
Miroslaw Wyrzykowski, a former Constitutional Tribunal judge, informed Reuters that while the constitutional deadlines allow for a total of 28 days, the procedure could potentially be completed in a shorter timeframe.
To secure the confidence vote, the nominee needs an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament, known as the Sejm. This requires the number of supporters to exceed the combined number of opponents and abstainers, with a minimum of 230 lawmakers present during the vote.
SECOND STEP
If the nominee fails to win the confidence vote, the process returns to the Sejm, where lawmakers have an additional 14 days to propose another candidate for prime minister.
Once again, the new nominee would need to obtain an absolute majority in the Sejm to win the confidence vote. It is expected that the opposition anticipates confirmation of a cabinet led by Tusk during this stage.
BACK TO THE PRESIDENT
If the second attempt fails to yield a government, the initiative goes back to the president, who then has another 14 days to select a third candidate for prime minister.
The parliament is then given another 14 days for voting, though a simple majority would suffice for confidence. A cabinet appointed at this stage may potentially form a minority government.
EARLY ELECTION
If no cabinet is formed by the second half of January, the president would be compelled to call for another parliamentary election.
(Reporting by Marek Strzelecki; additional reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
