Consultations between president and parties endConsultations between president and parties on new government end

Consultations concerning the next government held between Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, and representatives of the parties that will take seats in the new parliament came to an end on Wednesday.

The final meeting saw the president meet members of the Confederation party.

Meetings with Law and Justice (PiS) and the Civic Coalition (KO) were held on Tuesday and with the Third Way, the New Left and the far-right Confederation on Wednesday.

The talks were held separately with the order dictated by the number of votes received by each party and came as parties jostle to form the next Polish government in the wake of last week’s general election.

The incumbent Law and Justice party won the most votes but failed to secure enough to give it a majority in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament. This could give opposition parties the opportunity to propose to the president the formation of a coalition government.

The leaders of the three opposition groupings that jointly won the majority of parliamentary seats in October 15 general elections have confirmed they are ready to form a new government with Donald Tusk, the leader of the largest opposition party Civic Platform (PO), as its head.

According to the constitution, the president can entrust the mission of forming a government to a nominated representative of a party.

Duda has said it is customary to entrust this to the leader of the grouping that won the elections to the Sejm, in this case, Law and Justice.

But he also has to consider appointing Tusk to form a government given that the main opposition parties have agreed to work together.

Szymon Holownia, one of the two Third Way leaders, said after his talks with Duda on Wednesday: „The President made it clear that he will convene the first session of the new Sejm probably at the last moment, saying that he did not want to shorten the term of this Sejm.”

The president had not yet picked his candidate for prime minister, Holownia also said.

mk, PAP

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