Tusk spoke to lawmakers ahead of a vote of confidence scheduled for later in the day.
Centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski from Tusk's Civic Coalition narrowly lost the June 1 presidential runoff to conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki, raising questions about the government’s ability to push through its agenda.
While the coalition’s parliamentary majority made it almost certain to win Wednesday's vote, a recent poll found that roughly a third of Poles believe Tusk’s government will not serve out its full term through 2027, the Reuters news agency reported.
'Governing Poland is a privilege'
"We have a mandate to take full responsibility for what's happening in Poland," Tusk told MPs on Wednesday.
"Governing Poland is a privilege," he added.
Tusk pointed to higher defence spending and reduced visa issuance for migrants as key accomplishments since his government took power in December 2023, following eight years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.
But critics argue the government has made limited progress on campaign promises, including relaxing abortion rules, reforming the judiciary, improving access to affordable housing and raising the tax-free income threshold.
Many of those initiatives were delayed amid hopes that a Trzaskowski win would provide a cooperative president.
Instead, Nawrocki’s victory is expected to complicate efforts to pursue the coalition’s pro-EU agenda.
Outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally who supported Nawrocki, has already blocked parts of the government’s reform plans.
Tusk last week acknowledged the changing political dynamic, telling his ministers that the confidence vote would serve as a "new beginning" for the Cabinet.
Nawrocki, a Euroskeptic inspired by US President Donald Trump, won the runoff with 50.89 percent of the vote to Trzaskowski's 49.11 percent, according to final results from the National Electoral Commission.
Though Poland’s president does not govern directly, the office holds significant veto power.
Nawrocki is set to be sworn in on August 6, succeeding Duda, who was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
The tight presidential race highlighted sharp political and cultural divisions in Poland, a key NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank bordering war-torn Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters