Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will likely return to office in mid-December, and from day one the pressure will be on and the task ahead will be immense. Among other pressing issues will be jumpstarting Poland’s energy transition after eight years in which Warsaw adopted an obstructionist approach to the climate crisis.
Since the ruling PiS party lost Poland’s Oct. 15 elections, a ferocious debate has raged within the party about whether to work with a new opposition-led government or do everything possible to sabotage it. How this debate within PiS is resolved could influence how other right-wing parties in Europe respond to electoral defeat.
Poland’s parliamentary elections on Oct. 15 could cement the ruling PiS party’s hold on power—or usher in its demise. Once again, the election centers on the rivalry between PiS and the centrist Civic Platform party that has dominated Polish politics since the mid-2000s. Warsaw’s partners and allies will be watching closely.
