Poland’s Law and Justice Party has lost power after eight years in power

CNN
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Poland’s populist Law and Justice Party has failed to secure a decisive vote to end its eight-year rule in power, paving the way for Donald Tusk to rule the country this week.

This party, known as PiS, fell short of the majority in the Parliament in the general election in October but for two months it tried in vain to find a coalition that could maintain it. the boss.

Monday’s vote along party lines ended that process, ending an era of PiS rule that has angered international organizations and sharply divided Polish society.

Centrist politician Tusk, who found a clear path to power in October, will finally have the opportunity to formalize his coalition. He is expected to become prime minister in a few hours, and then submit his coalition to a confidence vote sometime this week that he is certain to win.

PiS has orchestrated a radical revolution in Poland since coming to power in 2015, seizing greater control over the country’s judiciary, public media, cultural institutions and companies, and the violation of the rights of immigrants, women and LGBTQ + people.

But he failed to win an unprecedented third term in the October election, in an election dominated by the cost of living, the war in Ukraine, and Poland’s position in Europe.

PiS won more seats than any other party, and the PiS-aligned President of the country, Andrzej Duda, gave the party every chance to form a government, although all the other groups are arguing that they do not agree to rule with them.

Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland from 2007 – then the President of the EU Council for five years – will now look to reverse the results of the PiS revolution. the state of Poland.

But he will need to contend with a president and a judicial system that favors the party that was in power, and he will also have to satisfy a diverse coalition ranging from the left to the center-right lawmakers.

This article has been updated.