Politics without Tusk
Eastern approaches 2014-09-02
Summary:
DONALD TUSK’s elevation to president of the European Council, the most prestigious job for a Pole since Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II, has left a gaping hole at the heart of Polish politics. Who will fill it will determine whether the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party can hang on to power and win a third parliamentary term next year.
Mr Tusk has dominated Poland’s political scene ever since he became prime minister in 2007. In those long years in power he has stamped his authority on PO, and winnowed out any unruly barons who threatened his rule. Underneath the shy demeanour and the winning smile that charmed fellow European leaders is a tough political player.
The two men who co-founded PO with him in 2001 have long since been pushed aside. Rivals who dared challenge him, among them Grzegorz Schetyna, a former deputy prime minister and interior minister and once one of Mr Tusk's closest friends, have been consigned to the back benches of parliament or ejected from the party.
That leaves Mr Tusk with the decisive voice in choosing a successor. He takes up his new post in Brussels in December. Once he resigns,...Continue reading