Polish president drags out formation of new government

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Thursday that he will convene a new parliament on Nov. 13, potentially delaying the installation of a new government until December.

"The preliminary date of the first session of the Sejm (lower house of parliament) will be Monday 13 November, the nearest possible date taking into account constitutional norms," Duda said in Warsaw.

Under the constitution, the president has 30 days from the election day, Oct. 15, to convene parliament and another 14 days to nominate a candidate for prime minister.

The coalition that is appearing to be the most likely outcome of Oct. 15's election is made up of the Civic Coalition (KO), the Third Way, and the Left.

The National Electoral Commission said the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) won 35.38% of votes (194 seats), KO 30.70% (157 seats), the Third Way 14.40% (65 seats), the Left 8.61% (26 seats), and Confederation 7.16% (18 seats) in the election.

Duda, connected with to PiS, said Thursday that he would announce his nomination for prime minister after Nov. 13, adding there were two "serious candidates" for the post: Incumbent Premier Mateusz Morawiecki, and Donald Tusk, leader of the opposition alliance.

- Delaying tactics?

PiS has decided to play for early parliamentary elections, some believe. "Snap elections would be a way to regain power. How would PiS want to achieve this? In two ways. Firstly, by delaying budget work and secondly by quarrelling with its political opponents," RMF journalist Krzysztof Berenda wrote on Thursday.

Education and Science Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek said on Thursday that PiS will be able to form a government in coalition with the Polish People's Party (PSL).

"Our offer for PSL will be valid for the entire term," said a person from PiS leader Jarosław Kaczynski's inner circle in an interview with Rzeczpospolita newspaper.

The new coalition has several policy areas that PiS may seek to exploit in the coming weeks.

Tusk shifted his party into unfamiliar left-of-center fiscal territory during the election campaign, and wedded himself to traditional liberal totems on abortion and gay and women's rights. The Third Way is perhaps the outlier of the three potential governing parties, both fiscally and socially more conservative than the other two.

The Third Way is very conservative and PSL represents a rural and socially entrenched constituency. PO promised to retain social benefits, but may withdraw them, giving the Left to face a dilemma.

Meanwhile, the president will stay in office until 2025 and the opposition does nt have two thirds of seats in the Sejm to overcome Duda's veto.