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Poland’s new government led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was sworn in on Monday. Morawiecki’s cabinet is now subject to approval by the country’s lower house of parliament (Sejm) within the next two weeks.
In the afternoon, Morawiecki submitted a proposal to President Andrzej Duda for the formation of a new Council of Ministers. According to a government spokesperson, the cabinet includes experts who have not previously held political positions, as well as politicians specializing in specific areas.
In the new government, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek will take charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Mariusz Blaszczak remains the head of the Ministry of National Defense and Marlena Malag has become Minister of Development and Technology.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and former deputy prime minister, is not in the new cabinet. Meanwhile, more than half of the ministers in Morawiecki’s government are women.
Morawiecki now has 14 days to present a piece of writing exposing himself to the Sejm with a request for a vote of confidence. If he fails to secure this vote, the Sejm will take over the task of selecting a prime minister to form a government.
In the parliamentary elections held on Oct. 15, PiS won 194 seats, falling short of a majority in the 460-seat Sejm. The three main opposition groupings, the Civic Coalition led by former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Third Way and the New Left collectively obtained 248 seats. The opposition alliance signed a coalition agreement on Nov. 10.