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Polish president to discuss German elections with aides

30.09.2021 13:15
Polish President Andrzej Duda was on Thursday set to meet with his aides to discuss the outcome of last weekend's parliamentary elections in neighbouring Germany.
Angela Merkels likely successor, Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Angela Merkel's likely successor, Olaf Scholz (SPD).Photo: Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

The meeting, convened to examine the implications of the German elections, was due to take place in Warsaw in the late afternoon, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

On Sunday, Germany's Social Democrats narrowly won their first national election since 2005, ending 16 years of conservative-led rule under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won 25.7 percent of the vote, ahead of 24.1 percent for Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative bloc, according to provisional results. The Greens came in at 14.8 percent, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) were on 11.5 percent, the Reuters news agency reported.

The Polish president in April launched a new International Policy Office whose role is to support his work on the international arena.

The bureau, which is part of the President's Office, was initially headed by Krzysztof Szczerski, a senior Duda aide who this summer became Poland's ambassador to the United Nations.

Szczerski oversaw the creation of the new International Policy Office, which aims to work closely with the foreign ministry in Warsaw and is now led by Jakub Kumoch, Poland's former envoy to Switzerland.

(jh/gs)

Source: IAR, Reuters, PAP