Yesterday the Polish Parliament soundly rejected efforts by the previous ruling party, Law and Justice, to cling to powe and instead elected a previous Polish Prime Minster, Donald Tusk, to head a new ruling coalition:
“Poland’s newly elected Parliament torpedoed a long-shot effort by right-wing forces to stay in power and chose the opposition leader Donald Tusk as the nation’s new prime minister on Monday. The decision ushers the biggest and most populous country on the European Union’s formerly communist eastern flank into a new era.
Legislators, as expected, rejected a new government proposed by the caretaker prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, whose party, Law and Justice, lost its parliamentary majority in an October election.
As Parliament shot down Law and Justice’s effort to keep power, opposition legislators taunted Mr. Morawiecki and his supporters over their defeat, chanting “Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk.”
Later on Monday, Parliament nominated and confirmed Mr. Tusk, 66, as Poland’s new leader, drawing cheers and applause from his allies and a sour denunciation of the new prime minister as a “German agent” from Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the chairman of Law and Justice and Poland’s de facto leader since 2015. Mr. Tusk, a veteran centrist politician who led Poland from 2007 to 2014, is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday by President Andrzej Duda, an ally of Law and Justice.”
Shrugging off the accusations from his opposition, Tusk, in his first major speech as the newly confirmed Prime Minister, took the opportunity to chastise anti-democratic forces (read House Republicans) who would abandon Ukraine to the imperialist ambitions of Vladimir Putin:
(Italics mine)
“Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, said in his inaugural speech to parliament in Warsaw on Tuesday that his incoming government will push for the West to increase its support for Ukraine against Russia.
“We will demand full mobilization of the West to help Ukraine. I can no longer listen to politicians who talk about being tired of the situation in Ukraine,” he said. “The attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. We also need to speak with one voice about Ukraine. This must also unite us,” he added.
Tusk will become prime minister on Wednesday, when his government is sworn in by the president.
With much of the world now focused on the conflict in Gaza, voices in the US and Hungary have been talking about reducing support for Ukraine. Tusk, who headed European Council from 2014-2019, travels to Brussels this week for a summit of EU leaders.
“In a few dozen hours, I will be going to Brussels, hoping that we will convince our allies to defend democratic values and Ukraine against Russian aggression,” Tusk added. “Only a united West can help Ukraine win in the fight for democratic values. By some strange coincidence, politicians who attack the foundations of democracy are anti-Ukrainian.”
Well, that was well said.
Twilight of Democracy author Anne Applebaum and her followers discuss this heartening (and hilarious) development on Twitter:
Finally, someone said that loud.
— Robert Nowacki 🇪🇺🇵🇱 (@robertnowacky) December 12, 2023
Amen.
Tusk is great!!
He has experience with Russian political projects and how to deal with them. Remember Brexit?
With Tusk knowledge of Brussels Europe has a strong leading voice that meshes well with Ursula.
No wonder Orban is worried.— Sparty (@spartyflyboy) December 12, 2023
So worried he is traveling to the U.S. to meet with the Insurrection Caucus.
So happy for Poland, democracy, and my Polish family!
— Layne “Vermin” Democracy Matters 🌊🐙🪸🌳 (@LayneDarlin) December 12, 2023
Hear hear.
Seems he was very prepared for what they were going to do once assuming control of the government, he’s hit the ground running
It’s beneficial to us all, Tusk’s relationship with Brussels, it’s safe to assume
— Gipper's gravespin (@ReaganiteGOPer) December 12, 2023
🤞 🤞 🤞
To be sure there is no shaming of the Republican barely majority in the House, but perhaps a centrist politician from the heart of Europe calling them out on the anti-democratic ways will give them pause.
We can always hope.
No shame because they have no morals, no ethics, no decency. The GOP is in thrall to its MAGAt minority and to Trump; pure cowardice allied with greed for power and profits.
Thank God there is a new voice of leadership in EU speaking up for support of Ukraine, just when the Free-DUMB caucus is refusing to reup support for the war efforts. When a door closes, a window opens.
It is no coincidence, strange or otherwise, the forces against Ukraine are also against democracy. Watching Ukrainians fight for their freedom, their country, is a slap in the face to the fascists around the world and the ones in our own nation. Here’s to hoping Americans decide in November 2024 that our nation and its democratic institutions are as important as the Ukrainians felt theirs were. I have a feeling that if the U.S. goes down, the rest of the free nations will follow and I doubt humanity will survive. The cockroaches inheriting the planet might be inevitable but I’d like to stave it off for as long as possible.
I’m envisioning the upper part of the Statue of LIBERTY lying on the beach like at the end of the Planet of the Apes.
Donald Tusk goes after Donald Trump. I like this guy. Slava Ukraini!
To President Zelenskyy and all Ukrainians: Heroiam slava!!!!
To Prime Minister Tusk and all my distant relatives who voted FOR democracy, the toast I heard often as a youngster: Na Zdrowie!!!!!