Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, held a news conference alongside the head of the Republican Party, Adam Bielan, telling reporters he was “very pleased our coalition has a new member.”
Kaczyński, who is a deputy prime minister in Poland's conservative government, told reporters the two parties had "agreed the terms earlier, but “we didn’t unveil them until all matters in our coalition have been settled."
The official announcement of the deal with the Republicans came a day after Kaczyński said that Deputy Defence Minister Marcin Ociepa’s OdNowa (Renewal) grouping had also joined the governing coalition.
He told Friday's news conference that the deal with Bielan's party "covers various policy details and stipulates that we will compete in the next parliamentary, local and European elections together."
"And hopefully we are also going to back the same presidential candidate,” Kaczyński said, as quoted by the PAP news agency.
“It’s a good development and another step towards consigning that little turbulence inside our coalition to history,” he added. “I am pleased our alliance has a new member.”
Kaczyński was referring to a period of political uncertainty his governing conservatives faced following the dismissal in August of Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, whose Agreement party subsequently left the ruling coalition, putting the government’s parliamentary majority in jeopardy, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Bielan said the coalition agreement was “extensive, yet we negotiated it very quickly, because we share a common objective.”
“We Republicans deeply believe that a historic third term for the United Right is within reach,” he told reporters.
“If we keep governing well and continue to bring about positive change, positive reforms in our country, then I am convinced we are going to win in 2023 and further down the line,” he added, as quoted by PAP.
Poland’s ruling conservative United Right coalition, led by Law and Justice and featuring Ociepa’s Renewal and Bielan's Republican Party, also includes Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro’s United Poland grouping.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, TVP Info
