Poland's president laid out his vision for a tolerant nation rooted in Christian traditions and appealed Tuesday for an end to political conflict as he inaugurated a new four-year term in the country's parliament.
Andrzej Duda paid homage to Poland's tradition of being a land of tolerance and a place where many ethnic and religious groups lived for centuries in relative harmony. He also paid tribute to the Roman Catholic and strong family traditions that he said have been so crucial to preserving the social fabric over a difficult history.
He noted that while the national identity is rooted in Catholicism, Poland remains home to those of many religions, including Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Muslims and Jews.
Speaker Senior Antoni Macierewicz opens the gala session of Poland's new parliament by knocking with an ornamented wooden staff on the floor three times, in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
"To me, everyone who has Poland in his heart is a Pole," Duda said, in what appeared to be a rebuke against a strand of nationalism that excludes those who are not Catholic, represented by a new far-right party that just entered parliament.
Duda also appealed to the lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house, or Sejm, to put an end to the tensions and divisions that have for many years defined political life.
"They say sometimes a fish rots from its head. The head is here," said Duda, who has declared he will seek re-election in the nationwide presidential vote in the spring of 2020, for a second five-year term.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, outlines his vision of a tolerant Poland based on Roman catholic values in a speech applauded by the populist ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, at the gala inauguration of a new four-year term of the national parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.(AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
Speaker Senior Antoni Macierewicz opened the gala session, knocking with an ornamented wooden staff on the floor three times. Those assembled then stood to sing the national anthem. The lawmakers took their oath of office one by one.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki submitted the resignation of his Cabinet to pave the way for the new government that is to be composed of mainly the same ministers. It still needs approval from Duda and the parliament.
The parliamentary election on Oct. 13 gave a second term to the populist, conservative Law and Justice party, which won nearly 44% of the votes, the highest percentage of any party since Poland returned to democracy 30 years ago.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, outlines his vision of a tolerant Poland based on Roman catholic values in a speech applauded by the populist ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, at the gala inauguration of a new four-year term of the national parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
But the election also created some complications for the party and its 70-year-old leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, as it continues its plans to reshape the nation. Law and Justice had sought to prevent any party
For one, the far-right party, Confederation, got almost 7% of the vote, winning 11 seats in the assembly.
Law and Justice had sought to prevent any party arising in parliament to its right. That strategy had led Kaczynski and other leaders to try to appeal to the far right, and they even marched with them on Independence Day in 2018.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, outlines his vision of a tolerant Poland based on Roman catholic values in a speech applauded by the populist ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, at the gala inauguration of a new four-year term of the national parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
In another change, a left-wing alliance won 49 seats, after a hiatus of four years, after getting nearly 13% of the vote.
While the ruling party preserved its slim majority in the lower house, it lost control of the Senate, where opposition and nonaligned lawmakers now have 52 of the 100 seats. The Senate is less powerful than the Sejm but appoints the heads of some key state bodies and can slow down legislation.
The Senate held its first session later Tuesday, with another, brief speech from Duda.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A top European Union military officer said that a frigate that’s part of an EU mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels on Thursday morning.
Austrian Gen. Robert Brieger, who is chair of the EU’s military committee, said that it would be crucial for the bloc to “conserve resources” over the long haul because the threat posed by Houthi attacks “will not disappear” due to its connection to the Israel-Hamas war.
“The task given to the military is simply to protect merchant ships and to show the public that the European Union is not willing to accept a terrorist organization will interrupt the freedom of movement at sea,” Brieger said.
Brieger said that he’s asking EU members to provide the necessary resources to the EU mission dubbed Aspides — Greek for “shields.”
He said that it’s the first time that the EU has launched a naval operation in a hostile environment that's twice the size of the 27-nation bloc, calling it a “litmus test” that the bloc will pass successfully.
The commander of an EU naval mission in the Red Sea, Greek Rear Adm. Vasilios Gryparis, wants to significantly increase its size to better defend against possible attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen. Nineteen of the 27 EU nations are involved in the mission, but only four frigates are patrolling an area twice the size of the bloc.
The EU mission was established in February to defend civilian vessels and doesn't take part in any military strikes. The southern part of the Red Sea is deemed a high-risk zone.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which control much of Yemen’s north and west, launched a campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in November. They have also fired missiles toward Israel, although those have largely fallen short or been intercepted.
The attacks have hit maritime trade to Egypt and Europe, with only around half the usual number of ships moving through the area. It’s added up to two weeks of transit time for vessels that want to avoid the Suez Canal, hiking transport costs and shipping insurance.
The rebels have described their campaign as an effort to pressure Israel to end the wear. The ships targeted by the Houthis, however, largely have had little or no connection to Israel, the U.S. or other nations involved in the war.
Their campaign has continued despite more than two months of U.S.-led retaliatory airstrikes.
General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU's Military Committee talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with the Cyprus national guard chief Georgios Tsitsikostas at the Defense Ministry in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The European Union's top military official says a frigate that's part of an EU military mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping has destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Brieger said the downing of the drone took place Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU's Military Committee talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with the Cyprus national guard chief Georgios Tsitsikostas at the Defense Ministry in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The European Union's top military official says a frigate that's part of an EU military mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping has destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Brieger said the downing of the drone took place Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU's Military Committee talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with the Cyprus national guard chief Georgios Tsitsikostas at the Defense Ministry in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The European Union's top military official says a frigate that's part of an EU military mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping has destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Brieger said the downing of the drone took place Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU's Military Committee talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with the Cyprus national guard chief Georgios Tsitsikostas at the Defense Ministry in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The European Union's top military official says a frigate that's part of an EU military mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping has destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Brieger said the downing of the drone took place Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
