Polish parliament speaker says confidence vote should be next week
Polish parliament speaker says confidence vote should be next week
WARSAW - Polish Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia proposed on Tuesday that a vote of confidence in the government should take place in a week at an additional session of parliament.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday he would call for a parliamentary vote of confidence in his coalition government, after his candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski, lost a presidential election on Sunday.
"We are hearing information that it should be soon. I convinced the Prime Minister that we should wait with this for a while," Holownia told journalists.
"I suggested to the Prime Minister that the motion be submitted this week so that we can discuss it at an additional session on Tuesday."
Nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland's presidential election, delivering a blow to the centrist government's efforts to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Iran says reimposing UN sanctions would complicate nuclear standoff
FILE PHOTO: Atomic symbol and Iranian flag are seen in this illustration taken September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo DUBAI - Reimposing international sanctions on Iran would make the "situation" over its nuclear programme more complex, state media quoted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi as saying on Tuesday. He was speaking ahead of a meeting on Friday with three European states known as the E3 - Britain, France and Germany. The E3 have said that if no progress is reached by the end of August over Iran's nuclear programme, they will invoke a "snapback" mechanism - a process that would reimpose U.N. sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under a 2015 deal in return for restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme "We will express our position regarding the E3's comments on the snapback mechanism, which we think lacks any legal ground," Gharibabadi said, referring to Friday's meeting in Istanbul. "Nonetheless, our effort will be to see if we can find common solutions to manage the situation." The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal - from which the United States withdrew in 2018. "It has been seven years that the nuclear deal is not being implemented by the Europeans following the U.S. departure from it. How can they argue that Iran is not following the deal when they themselves have not done so?" Gharibabadi added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Asia Indonesia on high alert as dry weather fans forest, peatland fires in Sumatra Singapore 2 charged over alleged role in posting bail for man who later absconded Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp Singapore Changi Airport handles 17.5 million passengers in Q2 2025 Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and says its nuclear programme is solely meant for civilian purposes. REUTERS

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Explainer: Taiwan's recall elections and how the process could play out
Recalls can only be initiated after the first year of a representative taking office. TAIPEI - Around one-fifth of Taiwanese lawmakers, all from the main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), face a recall election on July 26 that could reshape the legislature and present an opportunity for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to regain its majority. Here is what the recall vote – the largest ever in Taiwan – is about and how the election could play out. What is a recall election? Recalls are a constitutional right in Taiwan, but can only be initiated after the first year of a representative taking office. At least 10 per cent of registered voters in a constituency must sign a petition for the recall, and the names on that petition must be validated by Taiwan's election commission. Who now controls Taiwan's Parliament? While Mr Lai Ching-te won the presidency in 2024 , his DPP lost its parliamentary majority, leaving the KMT and the much smaller Taiwan People's Party with the most seats, which they have used to pass legislation the government opposed and to impose swingeing budget cuts and spending freezes. The KMT, the TPP and their allies have 62 of the Parliament's 113 seats, while the DPP holds the remaining 51. What is the recall vote about? Civic groups, who pushed the recalls against the KMT lawmakers, say the party has acted against Taiwan's interests and on behalf of China to cut spending, especially the defence budget, and tried to give Parliament too much power to weaken Mr Lai's ability to govern. They have termed the vote an 'anti-communist' movement, referring to China's ruling party which has stepped up military and political pressure against Taipei over the past five years, saying KMT lawmakers are too close to Beijing. The KMT, which strongly denies being pro-Beijing but whose lawmakers regularly visit China, says it is simply exercising its constitutional right – backed by voters – to supervise the government, tackle real-world problems including low pay, cut waste and expose incompetence. The KMT says its outreach to China, which views separately governed Taiwan as its own territory, is needed to keep lines of communication open given Beijing would not talk to Mr Lai and his government, believing they are dangerous 'separatists'. The KMT says it is a 'malicious recall' and has gone into full election mode urging people to vote 'no' and prevent the DPP from gaining full control over all the organs of government and engaging in 'dictatorship', effectively ignoring the results of 2024's parliamentary election. Who is facing recall? Civic groups began a public petition campaign earlier this year to recall a swathe of KMT and DPP lawmakers, but only the KMT recalls gathered enough valid signatures to proceed. A total of 24 KMT lawmakers face recall on July 26, while ballots over seven other KMT lawmakers happen on Aug 23. If the KMT lawmakers lose their seats, by-elections will take place within three months. The KMT can stand again, with different candidates, and may well win back any seats lost. Some of the KMT lawmakers facing recall are in any case already in very safe constituencies. Before the by-elections, and if enough KMT lawmakers lose their seats, the DPP could effectively gain back its majority even if only for a few weeks, allowing them to pass legislation and spending plans the KMT has opposed. For the recalls to be successful, the number of votes approving the measure must be more than those opposing it, and also exceed one-quarter of the number of registered voters in the constituency, so turnout will be important. What has President Lai and his government said about the recalls? While senior DPP officials have been active on the campaign trail since the recalls were formally approved in June, the recalls were all initiated and are being run by civic groups. Mr Lai in June urged party members to actively back the recalls, but he has not directly gone out campaigning. REUTERS


AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
China rallies for opposition as Taiwan gears up for mass parliamentary recall, China News
TAIPEI — As Taiwan gears up for a recall vote that could reshape its parliament, opposition lawmakers being challenged at the ballot box are getting two unusual supporters: Chinese officials and state media outlets rallying to their cause. While President Lai Ching-te won the election last year, his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending in particular. The political drama has been happening against a backdrop of China ramping up its own military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert territorial claims Lai and his government resolutely reject. Lai has offered talks with Beijing many times, but been rebuffed. Civic groups formally started the recall campaign earlier this year, and on Saturday voters will decide on the fate of 24 lawmakers from Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), around one-fifth of all lawmakers. The recall groups say theirs is an "anti-communist" movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending, and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects those accusations, denouncing Lai's "dictatorship" and "green terror" — the DPP's party colour. China has not sat quietly on the sidelines, to the KMT's unease, ever wary of being "painted red" by its opponents. In June, two senior Chinese officials overseeing Taiwan policy denounced the recalls as a "political scheme" of Lai's. Lai is "engaging in dictatorship under the guise of democracy" and "using every means possible to suppress the opposition", China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian told a news briefing in June. Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, one of the most prominent recall campaigners, said such comments would only support their cause. "It shows they (the KMT) are together with the communist party. It helps us," he told reporters at a campaign event on Monday. 'Our business' The KMT says it neither asked for nor wants China's support, can't control what China says, and that it is not pro-Beijing. "We feel the same way as all the people of Taiwan — this is our business. It is the two parties, the DPP and the KMT, fighting for public support, for public recognition. It has nothing to do with the mainland," party spokesperson Crystal Yang told Reuters. Chinese state media outlets and their affiliated social media accounts published some 425 articles or videos describing the recall campaign as "dictatorship" or "green terror" in the first half of 2025, according to Taiwan research organisation IORG, which analyses Chinese state media. In an April commentary, China's ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily said Lai was "presumptuously abusing the recall system to crack down on the opposition party, attempting to establish a 'green dictatorship'". Pointing to the similarity between China and the KMT's arguments against the recalls, Wu Szu-yao, secretary general of the DPP's legislative caucus, said Beijing is "offering ammunition" to the KMT to sway voters. "China is really concerned that the mass recall will be successful and win the support of Taiwan's public," she said. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. The KMT says its China engagement is vital given Beijing's refusal to talk to Lai, who it says is a "separatist", and to advocate for Taiwan's interests, such as promoting agricultural exports. "This is an unfair criticism," Tony Lin, chair of the KMT's Culture and Communication Committee, said, referring to the accusations they are pro-Beijing. "What we have always stressed is that we are pro-communication." The KMT hopes people will turn out to also express their dissatisfaction with Lai, whom they say is incompetent and has stoked tensions with China. "The DPP uses its overwhelming propaganda network to bring up a sense of fear (about China) in Taiwan society," said Huang Kwei-bo, a professor of diplomacy at Taipei's National Chengchi University and a former KMT deputy secretary general. [[nid:715095]]