Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk

Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk
22nd Cabinet of Poland
2023–present
Ministers pictured after their swearing-in, 13 December (2023)
Date formed	13 December 2023
People and organisations
President	Andrzej Duda
Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Prime Minister's history	2007–2014 2023–present
Deputy Prime Ministers	Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz Krzysztof Gawkowski
No. of ministers	27 [1]
Member parties	Civic Coalition   Poland 2050   Polish People’s Party   New Left Supported by:   Independent [a]
Status in legislature	Majority (coalition) 242 / 460 (53%)
Opposition parties	Law and Justice   Confederation   Razem   Free Republicans
Opposition leader	Jarosław Kaczyński
History
Election	2023 parliamentary election
Legislature term	10th Sejm & 11th Senate
Predecessor	Morawiecki III

The Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk is the coalition government of Poland headed by Donald Tusk who was officially nominated and confirmed as the Prime Minister of Poland on 11 December 2023 by the members of the Sejm following the failure of Mateusz Morawiecki's Third Cabinet to secure a vote of confidence. ^[2] On 12 December, Tusk addressed the parliament and announced members of his cabinet, later that day Tusk's cabinet successfully obtained a vote of confidence with 248 of the 460 MPs voting in the affirmative. ^{[3] [4]} He and his cabinet were officially sworn in by president Andrzej Duda on 13 December 2023. ^[5]

Tusk previously served as Prime Minister of Poland between 2007 and 2014, President of the European Council between 2014 and 2019, and the president of the European People's Party (EPP) from 2019 to 2022. ^[6] The opposition's victory in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election and Tusk's return to power in Poland were mostly positively received by the international community, with multiple news outlets pointing to the erosion of certain democratic structures in Poland and the worsening of the country's relationship with the European Union under the former right-wing government led by Law and Justice. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Background

2023 parliamentary election

Tusk's cabinet was formed following the dissolution of Morawiecki's caretaker government originally established as the result of 2023 Polish parliamentary election, which took place on Sunday, 15 October 2023. The United Right won a plurality of seats but fell short of a Sejm majority. The opposition, including the Civic Coalition, Poland 2050, Polish People's Party, and The Left, secured a Senate majority. ^[2]

Although the United Right would be unable to govern on its own, the Polish president Andrzej Duda stated his intention to re-appoint the incumbent Mateusz Morawiecki as Prime Minister due to the existing albeit unofficial convention of nominating a member of the winning party. ^[10] The four opposition parties criticized Duda's decision as a delay tactic. The opposition parties subsequently signed a coalition agreement on 10 November, de facto taking over control of the Sejm, and agreed to nominate former Prime Minister and European Council President Donald Tusk as their candidate. ^[11] Morawiecki's new cabinet, dubbed "two-week government" and "zombie government" by the media due to its anticipated short-livedness, was sworn in on 27 November 2023. ^{[10] [12]}

Nomination of Donald Tusk

As expected, the Morawiecki government was defeated in the Sejm on 11 December 2023, effectively ending its tenure. ^[2] Immediately following the vote, the four-party opposition coalition nominated Tusk as prime minister. Partia Razem, although part of The Left coalition and therefore entitled to cabinet seats, opted not to enter the government due to a number of key issues being left out of the coalition agreement, but has also vowed to support Tusk's government in votes of confidence. ^[13] The nomination was subsequently confirmed by absolute majority vote, with 248 members of the Sejm voting in favor. ^[2] Also on 11 December, president Andrzej Duda accepted Morawiecki's resignation, while designating him as acting Prime Minister of a caretaker government until Tusk's swearing-in ceremony, which took place on 13 December 2023. ^{[14] [5]}

Nomination of Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland
Ballot →		11 December 2023
Required majority →		225 out of 449 Y
	Votes in favour • KO (157) • PSL (33) • PL2050 (32) • Lewica (26)	248 / 460
	Votes against • PiS (181) • KWiN (17) • Kukiz'15 (3)	201 / 460
	Absent • PiS (9) • KWiN (1)	10 / 460
Source

Confirmation of the cabinet

On 12 December 2023 Tusk addressed the parliament and announced members of his cabinet. Following his two hour speech 254 MPs signed up to ask questions about his upcoming government. ^[15] Due to an antisemitic incident perpetuated by MP Grzegorz Braun in the Sejm Complex, the vote of confidence was delayed by several hours. ^[16] At 9:53 pm, Tusk's cabinet secured the vote of confidence with 248 of the 460 MPs voting in the affirmative. ^[3] He and his cabinet were officially sworn in by president Andrzej Duda on 13 December 2023. ^[5]

Vote of confidence in the Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk
Ballot →		12 December 2023
Required majority →		225 out of 449 Y
	Votes in favour • KO (157) • PSL (33) • PL2050 (32) • Lewica (26)	248 / 460
	Votes against • PiS (182) • KWiN (16) • Kukiz'15 (3)	201 / 460
	Absent • PiS (8) • KWiN (2)	10 / 460
Source

Cabinet

On 12 December, members of the Cabinet presented by Donald Tusk were elected by Sejm. The ministers assumed their offices on 13 December, upon their appointment and swearing-in by the President. ^[17]

Office	Portrait	Name	Party		In office
					From	To
Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers [17]
Prime Minister		Donald Tusk		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Deputy Prime Minister		Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz		Polish People's Party	13 December 2023
Minister of National Defense
Deputy Prime Minister		Krzysztof Gawkowski		New Left	13 December 2023
Minister of Digital Affairs
Constitutional ministers [b] [17]
Minister of Justice		Adam Bodnar		Independent (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of State Assets		Borys Budka		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023	13 May 2024
Minister of Industry		Marzena Czarnecka		Independent	13 December 2023
Minister of Finance		Andrzej Domański		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy		Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk		New Left	13 December 2023
Minister of Climate and Environment		Paulina Hennig-Kloska		Poland 2050	13 December 2023
Minister of Development and Technology		Krzysztof Hetman		Polish People's Party	13 December 2023	13 May 2024
Minister of State Assets		Jakub Jaworowski		Independent	13 May 2024
Minister of the Interior and Administration		Marcin Kierwiński		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023	13 May 2024
Minister of Infrastructure		Dariusz Klimczak		Polish People's Party	13 December 2023
Minister of Health		Izabela Leszczyna		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Sport and Tourism		Sławomir Nitras		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Education		Barbara Nowacka		Polish Initiative (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Development and Technology		Krzysztof Paszyk		Polish People's Party	13 May 2024
Minister of Funding and Regional Policy		Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz		Poland 2050	13 December 2023
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development		Czesław Siekierski		Polish People's Party	13 December 2023
Coordinator of the Secret Services		Tomasz Siemoniak		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Interior and Administration					13 May 2024
Minister of Culture and National Heritage		Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023	13 May 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs		Radosław Sikorski		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister for the European Union [18]		Adam Szłapka		Modern (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister of Science		Dariusz Wieczorek		New Left	13 December 2023	17 January 2025
Minister of Science		Marcin Kulasek		New Left	17 January 2025
Minister of Culture and National Heritage		Hanna Wróblewska		Independent	13 May 2024
Other cabinet ministers [17]
Minister without portfolio		Jan Grabiec		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Chief of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Minister for Civil Society		Agnieszka Buczyńska		Poland 2050	13 December 2023	16 October 2024
Chair of the Public Benefit Committee
Minister for Civil Society		Adriana Porowska		Poland 2050	16 October 2024
Chair of the Public Benefit Committee
Minister for Equality		Katarzyna Kotula		New Left	13 December 2023
Minister for Senior Citizens Affairs		Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz		Civic Platform (KO)	13 December 2023
Minister without portfolio		Maciej Berek		Independent	13 December 2023
Minister without portfolio		Marcin Kierwiński		Civic Platform (KO)	26 September 2024

Supporting parties

Coalition				Leader	Party		Ideology	Sejm Deputies	Senators	Ministers
	Civic Coalition			Donald Tusk		Civic Platform	Social liberalism	157 / 460 [c]	42 / 100 [d]	9 / 27
						Modern				1 / 27
						Polish Initiative				1 / 27
						Independent				1 / 27
	Third Way			Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz		Polish People's Party (Polish Coalition)	Christian democracy	33 / 460 [e]	12 / 100 [f]	4 / 27
				Szymon Hołownia		Poland 2050		32 / 460		3 / 27
	The Left			Włodzimierz Czarzasty Robert Biedroń		New Left	Social democracy	21 / 460	9 / 100 [g]	4 / 27
	Independents									4 / 27
Government								242 / 460	63 / 100	27
Support								1 / 460	3 / 100
Total								243 / 460	66 / 100

Popular mandate

Support for governing parties according to the popular vote in the 2023 election. ^{[19] [20]}

Member party		Popular vote (Sejm)	Percentage (Sejm)	MPs	Ministers	Popular vote (Senate)	Percentage (Senate)	Senators	Leader
	Civic Coalition	6,629,402	30.70%	157	12	6,187,295	28.91%	41	Donald Tusk
	Third Way	3,110,670	14.41%	65	7	2,462,360	11.50%	11	Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz Szymon Hołownia
	The Left	1,859,018	8.61%	26	4	1,131,639	5.29%	9	Włodzimierz Czarzasty Robert Biedroń
	Independents	—	—	—	4	1,211,186	5.66%	5
Gov.+Supp.		11,599,090	53.72%	248	27	10,992,480	51.36%	66	Donald Tusk
Poland		21,593,295	100%	460	—	21,402,998	100%	100

Notations

1. Adam Gomoła, MP, former of the Poland 2050.
2. Ministers in charge of government administration departments
3. • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000055-QINU`"'  PO (124)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000056-QINU`"'  .N (10)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000057-QINU`"'  iPL (3)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000058-QINU`"'  Greens (3)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000059-QINU`"'  T!DPL (2)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000005A-QINU`"'  Au (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000005B-QINU`"'  Independent (14)
4. • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000005D-QINU`"'  PO (37)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000005E-QINU`"'  T!DPL (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000005F-QINU`"'  Independent (4)
5. • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000061-QINU`"'  PSL (28)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000062-QINU`"'  CdP (3)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000063-QINU`"'  Independent (1)
6. • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000065-QINU`"'  PL2050 (5)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000066-QINU`"'  PSL (4)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000067-QINU`"'  UED (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000068-QINU`"'  CdP (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000069-QINU`"'  Independent (1)
7. • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000006B-QINU`"'  NL (5)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000006C-QINU`"'  UP (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000006D-QINU`"'  PPS (1)
   • '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000006E-QINU`"'  Independent (2)'"`UNIQ--ref-0000006F-QINU`"'

See also

• 2023 Polish public media crisis

References

1. "Skład Rady Ministrów - Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów - Portal Gov.pl". Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów (in Polish). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
2. Higgins, Andrew (11 December 2023). "Donald Tusk Chosen as Poland's Prime Minister After Rival Is Rejected". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 11 December 2023.
3. "Głosowanie nr 105 na 1. posiedzeniu Sejmu" (in Polish). 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
4. Tilles, Daniel (8 December 2023). "Tusk names members of new Polish government likely to take office next week". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
5. Gera, Vanessa (11 December 2023). "Donald Tusk becomes Poland's prime minister with the mission of improving European Union ties". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
6. de La Baume, Maïa (20 November 2019). "Donald Tusk elected president of European People's Party". POLITICO. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
7. Gera, Vanessa; Scislowska, Monika (12 December 2023). "Poland's new prime minister vows to press the West to continue helping neighboring Ukraine". AP News. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
8. Chiappa, Claudia (11 December 2023). "Donald Tusk wins parliament's backing to be new Polish PM". POLITICO. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
9. Picheta, Rob (13 December 2023). "Analysis: Donald Tusk beat Poland's populists. Now Europe is looking at him for hope". CNN. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
10. Cienski, Jan (27 November 2023). "Poland's zombie government shuffles into being". POLITICO. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
11. Easton, Adam (10 November 2023). "Poland's Tusk-led pro-EU opposition signs deal and waits to govern". BBC . Retrieved 10 November 2023.
12. "Prezydent powoła "rząd dwutygodniowy"". wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
13. "Dlaczego partia Razem nie wejdzie do rządu Tuska? Adrian Zandberg tłumaczy". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
14. Henley, Jon; correspondent, Jon Henley Europe (11 December 2023). "Donald Tusk set to take power in Poland after PM loses confidence vote". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 December 2023.{{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
15. S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Marszałek Sejmu: 254 posłów zgłosiło się do zadania pytań premierowi Tuskowi". www.tvpparlament.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
16. Day, Matthew (12 December 2023). "Watch: Far-Right MP uses fire extinguisher to snuff out Hanukkah candles". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
17. Partyła, Magdalena (13 December 2023). "Rząd Donalda Tuska zaprzysiężony". RMF24 (in Polish). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
18. "Rozporządzenie Prezesa Rady Ministrów z dnia 18 grudnia 2023 r. w sprawie szczegółowego zakresu działania Ministra do spraw Unii Europejskiej" (PDF) (in Polish).
19. "Wyniki głosowania w wyborach do Sejmu w 2023 r." sejmsenat2023.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 11 September 2024.
20. "Wyniki głosowania w wyborach do Senatu w 2023 r." sejmsenat2023.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 11 September 2024.