Donald Tusk will run for Polish presidency, coalition partner claims

The Civic Coalition's (KO) presidential candidate will not be Rafał Trzaskowski, but Donald Tusk, according to Marek Sawicki of the Polish People's Party (PSL), which governs Poland in coalition with KO

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives at the V4 meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
By Grzegorz Adamczyk
2 Min Read

Marek Sawicki, from the Polish People’s Party (PSL), announced on Sunday that Donald Tusk will be the Civic Coalition’s (KO) candidate in the upcoming Polish presidential elections, taking over from the expected candidate, Warsaw’s mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.

Sawicki, whose party is part of the Third Way alliance with Poland 2050 and KO, shared this opinion during a discussion on Polsat News TV.

Monika Rosa, vice-chair of the KO parliamentary party, highlighted that Trzaskowski’s candidacy remains on the table, though the final decision could still change. When questioned about Tusk possibly replacing Trzaskowski as the KO candidate, Rosa said, “Currently, we are discussing Rafał Trzaskowski. If anything changes, we will certainly inform everyone.” Despite further probing, Rosa reiterated her support for Trzaskowski’s candidacy.

However, Sawicki insists that Tusk, not Trzaskowski, will be the KO candidate.

“Everyone is increasingly aware that Trzaskowski will not be the candidate. The focus is shifting towards Donald Tusk, who is more engaged in preparing for the presidential elections than managing the government,” Sawicki commented.

Sawicki also speculated that if Tusk were not so interested in the presidency, significant reforms, including justice system overhaul and business regulations, would already have been implemented and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) would have dropped below 20 percent in the polls.

According to a recent United Surveys poll for RMF FM radio and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper, over one-third of respondents believe Rafał Trzaskowski should be the next president of Poland.

Former conservative prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, garnered 29.3 percent support, while Szymon Hołownia received 10.1 percent. Other candidates included Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk from the Left (8.4 percent) and Sławomir Mentzen from the Confederation (7.9 percent), with 7.4 percent of respondents undecided.

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