Poland’s PM Tusk steps down as Brussels calls

WARSAW, Poland – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tendered his resignation to the country’s president Tuesday, September 9, in a first step towards taking up the job of European Council (EC) president.

“I’ve handed over my papers,” Tusk told reporters with a nod in Warsaw when asked whether he had tendered his resignation.

He is likely to be replaced by Ewa Kopacz, dubbed the “Iron Lady” by Polish analysts.

Tusk’s being tapped by Brussels to succeed Herman Van Rompuy in a key European Union (EU) job is being seen in Poland as a nod not only to him, but also the country’s growing political and economic importance within the European fold.

And his governing center-right Civic Platform (PO) is seeing the first knock-on effects of his presidency, with opinion polls showing it surging ahead of conservative rivals, the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.

But it still remains to be seen whether the “Tusk effect” will rub off on the party in legislative elections scheduled for the autumn of 2015.

He earned the distinction of steering Poland though the global financial crisis as the only EU state to maintain growth.

As prime minister he also fostered cosy ties with EU powerhouse and neighbor Germany, in the wake of a more frosty earlier episode under a PiS administration.

Tusk has also succeeded in acquiring significant EU subsidies, but critics insist that under pressure from various lobby groups, he has put off long promised reforms, including a flat tax and downsizing the bureaucracy.

Under the constitution, President Bronislaw Komorowski will then have two weeks to designate a successor before a September 25 deadline, but could select a candidate ahead of trips to The Netherlands and the US starting on the 20th.

Stable government

The governing coalition – an alliance between Tusk’s PO and the agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL) – has already nominated Ewa Kopacz, the current parliamentary speaker and an unwavering Tusk ally.

Komorowski said he was for the “stability” of government and came out in favor of Kopacz for prime minister. Once he approves her candidature, she will have two weeks to present parliament with a new government for a vote of confidence.

She is destined to get the green light from parliament, given the extent of her backing there.

The one unknown remains the makeup of the new cabinet. There could be a “pretty significant” reshuffle, according to Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki.

But it would only affect the PO ministers, as it appears PSL will keep its three portfolios (economy, agriculture and labour).

Several key posts, including that of the defense and foreign ministers should remain unchanged, according to media speculation.

But one of the outgoing cabinet’s stars, Regional Development Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska, will likely swap her position for that of a European commissioner.

Also widely believed to be on his way out is Interior Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, who was caught up in a high-profile bugging scandal over the summer. – Rappler.com