WARSAW: The Polish parliament has elected Donald Tusk as new prime minister after current leader Mateusz Morawiecki lost a key vote on Monday.
Morawiecki’s populist Law and Justice (PiS) party failed to secure majority in October’s elections.
President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, asked Morawiecki to lead the government. His failure to win a vote of confidence opened the way for Tusk to become PM of the eastern European state.
Over 190 lawmakers voted for Morawiecki’s government, while 266 voted against him. The country’s parliament, then asked Tusk to lead the country. He is expected to assume his office this week.
A coalition led by Tusk win a majority of seats with a record turnout of more than 70% in October’s elections. The group comprises of three parties, Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO), the Third Way and the Left.
Morawiecki’s ruling PiS emerged as the single biggest party in the election, however the other parties refused to work alongside it.
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Tusk has already served as prime minister of Poland from 2007 and 2014, and later European Council president.
Expectations for the new coalition are quite high as Tusk has pledged different measures to bring economic stability in the country.
The new government has also vowed to restore the independence of the judiciary, which it says has been undermined by the previous government.
