“In your opinion, should Donald Tusk resign and cease to serve as Prime Minister of the government?” asked a United Surveys poll for Polish news site Wirtualna Polska.
48.6% of respondents answered that Tusk should resign, while 43.8% said that he should remain in office. 7.6% were undecided or refused to take a position.
The respondents were also strongly divided by party lines.
Supporters of the ruling coalition, which includes Civic Platform, the Left, the Polish People’s Party and Poland 2050, support Tusk. 85% of them are against the Prime Minister’s resignation.
However, 80% of voters supporting conservative opposition parties, including Law and Justice and the far-right Confederation, favor his departure.
The poll was conducted between 25 and 27 July among a representative sample of 1,000 adults.
Donald Tusk has come under increasing political pressure since the results of the presidential election were announced in June, after Karol Nawrocki, backed by Law and Justice, defeated the perceived favorite Rafal Trzaskowski, who is part of Tusk’s Civic Platform.
On 11 July, Tusk held a vote of confidence, telling the Sejm that it could not “turn a blind eye” to the fact that his government was facing “greater challenges” as a result of Nawrocki’s election.
At the end of July, Tusk carried out a government reshuffle, replacing several key ministers in his cabinet.
While support for him among the coalition’s voters remains strong, many criticise his government for failing to implement the announced changes promised ahead of the 2023 general election. These include issues such as the liberalisation of abortion rights and civil partnerships for LGBT+ couples, on which the various parties in the coalition do not agree.
This situation is unlikely to change under Nawrocki’s presidency, as even if Tusk’s coalition can internally agree on policy changes, it does not have the majority to override a presidential veto.
Karol Nawrocki will take office on 6 August at 10 a.m. That same day Andrzej Duda’s 10-year presidency will end.
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