The PM says his government scored vital points in more demanding political circumstances during its one year in office.
Report by Slawek Szefs
PM Donald Tusk and the ruling coalition of the Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL) have just celebrated their first anniversary in office giving themselves mostly good marks for coping with encountered challenges. Tusk stressed his team had to make vital decisions in circumstances much more demanding than their political predecessors. He placed on the list of accomplishments, for instance, the Polish military pullout from Iraq, the signing of the missile defence shield agreement with the United States and the setting of a concrete timetable for Poland's adoption of the common European currency. The PM also appealed to the opposition for a non-aggression pact in cooperating on the most crucial projects, especially with regard to the introduction of the euro as a move of strategic importance for the Polish economy.
The opposition gave the government a thumbs down appraisal in almost all fields of endeavor. Law and Justice (PiS), the major opposition party and its chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski - the previous PM - accused the government of irresponsibility, incompetence and inability to carry out much needed reforms in such crucial areas as the national health service or adopting a new media law. The list is long and includes many problems which have accumulated from previous governments representing a wide political spectrum.