“Tusk can’t handle governing Poland. Not only is he unable to deal with the objective problems that exist, but above all, he generates enormous problems himself – once again, he’s like those communists who heroically fought against the problems they themselves created,” said Jacek Sasin, a politician from Law and Justice (PiS), commenting on the “new-old” Civic Coalition (KO).
This Saturday, the National Convention of the Civic Platform (PO) will take place. During the event, three parties are expected to merge: Civic Platform, Nowoczesna (Modern Party), and Polish Initiative. Until nearly the last moment, questions persisted about whether, given the expansion of Civic Platform, a new party would be formed, or whether cooperation would continue under the Civic Coalition banner.
The name has been in use for several years. In 2018, for the purposes of local elections, Civic Coalition was established as an electoral alliance. Initially, it was a coalition between Civic Platform and Nowoczesna. Later, it was expanded to include Polish Initiative and the Greens. Yesterday, in an interview with Onet, Witold Zembaczyński from Civic Platform “let it slip” that the new political alliance would most likely be called Civic Coalition. He also added that the formation’s logo would feature a heart symbol, already known from recent election campaigns.
Moreover, Donald Tusk is to remain the head of the group, but the decision-making body will be expanded to include, among others, Adam Szłapka and Barbara Nowacka.
“We’re doing this to become stronger, to draw on our experience since 2018, to consolidate cooperation, and to show that the right wing is divided, while the progressive liberal center is uniting,” said Zembaczyński.
Sasin: Tusk can’t handle problems
Jacek Sasin, a member of Law and Justice, commented on the “revolutionary” changes within Civic Platform on Radio Plus. Half-jokingly, he admitted that, in fact, nothing will change.
“The fact that they’re changing the name doesn’t mean anything will actually change. I remember there used to be a slogan in the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR): ‘The same party, but not the same.’ And I understand that’s what this is supposed to be – the same party, but not the same,” said the politician.
He added, “They’re supposed to change the name, the logo, maybe something else […] but nothing at all will change. It’s just a PR stunt, obviously stemming from the belief that the logo is so discredited – and Civic Platform is so discredited – that it’s now dragging down the entire formation.”
Sasin went on to say, “Tusk can’t handle governing Poland. Not only is he unable to deal with the objective problems that exist, but above all, he generates enormous problems himself – once again, he’s like those communists who heroically fought against the problems they themselves created.“
“First, there was a cabinet reshuffle, then, after a few months, it turned out that the reshuffle achieved nothing, no one was fooled by it, so now it’s a rebranding,” he concluded.