Poland’s new prime minister wins confidence vote in parliament

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – The government of Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk won a vote of confidence in parliament on Tuesday.

Tusk – who is starting a new term as prime minister after having led the government from 2007-2014 -- will be sworn in by President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday morning.

The Civic Coalition (KO), led by Tusk, appointed 16 members of the 27-member government, including seven from the Third Way, a coalition of two parties -- the centrist Poland 2050 and the center-right Polish People's Party (PSL) -- and four from the Nowa Lewica (New Left) party.

Among the ministers, nine are women and the core of the government is made up of politicians close to Tusk.

They include Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL president), a minister in Tusk's previous government, who is minister of defense; Borys Budka, the head of the KO, who is minister of state assets; Marcin Kierwiński, who is minister of the interior and administration; Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, who is minister of culture; Radoslaw Sikorski, who is minister of foreign affairs; Tomasz Siemoniak, who is minister-coordinator of special services; Izabela Leszczyna, who is minister of health; Andrzej Domanski, who is minister of finance; and Adam Szłapka, who is minister for European affairs in the Prime Minister's Chancellery.

The PSL is the second strongest party in the government after assuming key economic ministries: the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​