Donald Tusk Inaugurated As Poland’s New Prime Minister

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda on Wednesday inaugurated Donald Tusk as the new pro-EU prime minister, putting an end to eight years of right-wing populist rule.

The ministers of the new administration were successively sworn in by the conservative head of state, who was allied with the previous government of the Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Tusk, who was prime minister from 2007-2014, has pledged to restore Poland’s position in the European Union after rule-of-law infringements strained Warsaw’s ties with Brussels.

The former European Council president has also made it known that help for war-torn Ukraine would be a priority of his government.

Tusk’s cabinet includes Radoslaw Sikorski as foreign minister — a job he has held in the past — as well as former ombudsman Adam Bodnar as justice minister.

The PiS won the most seats in October’s general election but failed to find viable coalition partners and secure backing for their minority government on Monday.

While Tusk’s Civic Coalition came second in the ballot, it allied with two smaller pro-EU opposition political groups, the Third Way and Left, with enough votes to oust PiS from power.

The new government will likely face daily battles with PiS lawmakers. The party still has allies in the presidency, the central bank, and the supreme court, as well as in several important judicial and financial state institutions.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose term ends in 2025, could use blocking tactics between now and then to veto legislation.