Polish President Andrzej Duda appointed a new cabinet at an open-air ceremony at the presidential palace gardens on Tuesday (October 6). Among the new cabinet members is Law and Justice party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński.
The swearing-in ceremony was postponed from Monday (October 5) after new education minister Przemysław Czarnek tested positive for coronavirus.
Among the appointed ministers was Jarosław Kaczyński, the 71-year-old leader of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, who became deputy prime minister.
Jarosław Gowin and Piotr Gliński also became deputy prime ministers as well as responsible for the labour and culture and sport ministries respectively.
Following weeks of internal rows over jobs and policies such as women's and LGBT rights, which threatened to break up the three-party PiS coalition, the ruling nationalists reached an agreement last week.
The coalition appeared to have taken a turn further to the right with the appointment of Czarnek, a lecturer at a Catholic university who has said gay people were "not equal to normal people".
PiS says a reshuffle was needed to streamline decision-making at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has pushed economies around the world into recession.
Mateusz Morawiecki's cabinet now consists of 14 ministries, instead of 20.
The Council of Ministers includes:
- Mateusz Morawiecki - Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Affairs
- Jarosław Kaczyński - Deputy Prime Minister
- Piotr Gliński - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport
- Jacek Sasin - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets
- Jarosław Gowin - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development, Labour and Technology
- Przemysław Czarnek - Minister of Education and Science
- Michał Kurtyka - Minister of Environment and Climate
- Grzegorz Puda - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Andrzej Adamczyk - Minister of Infrastructure
- Mariusz Błaszczak - Minister of National Defence
- Mariusz Kamiński - Minister of Interior Affairs and Administration
- Zbigniew Rau - Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Tadeusz Kościński - Minister of Finance and Funds
- Marlena Maląg - Minister of Family and Social Policy
- Adam Niedzielski - Minister of Health
- Zbigniew Ziobro - Minister of Justice
In the government there are also five ministers without portfolio:
- Michał Dworczyk - Chief of Prime Minister's Chancellery
- Łukasz Schreiber
- Konrad Szymański - Minister for European Affairs
- Michał Cieślak (representative of Accord)
- Michał Wójcik (representative of United Poland)
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters