Coming Home: Tusk
Photograph of European Council President Donald Tusk. Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail.
On 14 Oct. 2019, the ruling Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS) won a narrow victory in Polish elections. While the Right-wing party did win a majority in the Sejm (the lower house of the Parliament and the body with the most governing power), the opposition party, led by the Liberal Democratic Civic Coalition (KO) took control of the Senate.
The narrow election and new hope for liberal opposition parties in the region have made many leaders turn their heads to European Council President Donald Tusk, whose position with the European Union expires on 30 Nov. 2019.
Before assuming the position of President of the European Council (one of the governing bodies of the European Union), Mr Tusk was the leader of the Civic Platform Party (PO) (the largest party within the Civic Coalition) and Prime-Minister of Poland.
Now that he will no longer be serving a position with the European Union, Mr Tusk must return to Poland and drive out the PiS.
Despite being fellow Poles, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and Mr Tusk have been bitter enemies. In 2017, when Mr Tusk sought a second term as European Council President, he would have had the unanimous support of all EU countries, had Mr Kaczyński not ordered Polish representatives to vote against Mr Tusk, as reported by Politico.
In 2018, the PiS controlled Parliament passed a rule mandating that seven of the Polish Supreme Court Judges must retire, seriously putting in question the court's independence and leading to even more accusations by EU leaders, according to Reuters.
According to Human Rights Watch, the European Union has accused Poland of undermining the rule of law, and many EU leaders have considered activating Article 7 (the EU article by which the body can suspend a member's voting rights). However, this action would have to be a unanimous decision of all EU members, prompting Poland to form an informal agreement with Hungary (who is also under investigation for undermining the rule of law) to veto any Article 7 proposal made against them.
This constant sniping has not only shown how the PiS has adopted a rather authoritarian behaviour, but how divided Polish politics have become.
When he left his position as head of the Polish government, Mr Tusk's coalition was fraying, leading to a PiS landslide in the 2015 election. However, the PiS's threats to the rule of law and hostile behaviour towards LGBTI citizens, have put their control over Poland in jeopardy. With their loss of the Senate and slimming members in the Sjem, the PiS in on the ropes.
According to the Balkan Insight, Mr Tusk recently commented on his future political prospects, "No one expects that after the conclusion of my term I will just be watching politics on television", alluding to his plan to re-enter Polish politics.
Along with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Tusk has been the face of a European Union which enjoys an 88 per cent approval rating in Poland, according to the Pew Research Centre, a pollster. This approval rating int the highest of any EU state.
In May 2020, Poland will hold a Presidential election. Most opposition leaders see Mr Tusk as the only viable KO candidate for the job. Mr Tusk should take this opportunity to re-enter domestic politics and lead the KO in defeating PiS.
Not only would a government under Mr Tusk be much less hostile towards Constitutional order and minority groups, but it would undermine the Polish-Hungarian political alliance. This would allow for the EU to take action against Victor Orbán's government, the much-hated Hungarian Prime-Minister.
Mr Tusk can be the leader to throw off his country's label as an illiberal democracy, and lead Poland back on the right path.
Sources:
Herszenhorn, David. "EU leaders defy Warsaw to reappoint Donald Tusk." Politico, Capitol News Company, 03 Sept. 2017,
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-leaders-reappoint-donald-tusk-as-council-president/
"Poland signals seven judges must quit in court overhall." Reuters, Thomas Reuters Corporation, 11 Sept. 2019,
Sierakowski, Slawomir, "Can Donald Tusk Go Home Again?" Balkan Insight, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, 22 May 2019,
https://balkaninsight.com/2019/05/22/can-donald-tusk-go-home-again/
Wike, Richard et al "European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism." Pew Research Centre, The Pew Charitable Trusts, 15 Oct. 2019,