"We haven’t achieved everything we promised,” Tusk said during a meeting with residents in the central city of Piotrków Trybunalski.
"The coalition has turned out to be more difficult than I thought, and we didn’t win the presidential election. I take full political responsibility for that," he added.
The prime minister told the gathering that the past two years have been marked by war, inflation, and what he called a “political civil war” waged by the opposition right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party and the far-right Confederation group.
“After two difficult years, I can say with a clear conscience that roughly the same number of people—maybe even a little more—who voted for the Civic Coalition (KO) on October 15, 2023, still believe in us,” Tusk said, thanking supporters.
He added that “the fight for a better Poland continues and will always continue. We can never rest.”
Tusk said that while the coming years would require “a great deal of effort,” he was encouraged by surveys showing that nearly 70 percent of Poles consider their situation good.
The prime minister highlighted several government achievements, including lowering inflation, raising public-sector wages—"by 30 percent for teachers and 20 percent for civil servants"—and increasing funding for healthcare.
He told the meeting that Poland now ranks seventh in Europe in social welfare spending.
Tusk also stressed defence and infrastructure priorities, saying Poland would spend PLN 200 billion (about EUR 47 billion, USD 55 billion) on national security in 2026.
He praised Poland’s modern expressways and highways and said rail would now become the main focus of infrastructure investment, aiming to make it “the most modern and fastest in Europe.”
He also noted that some of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms were being developed in the Baltic Sea.
“I believe Poland is destined for greatness, if we all build it together with full conviction that we were made for great things,” Tusk said. “Poland is truly the best place on Earth, even if we don’t always see it.”
He declared that the government’s “strategic plan” remains unchanged but flexible.
“I have a strategic plan—and backup plans, if needed,” he said, promising to deliver “dozens more” of his campaign pledges over the next two years of his term.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP