Polish Prime Minister resigns

The move was made in accordance with the country's Constitution as Poland's newly elected parliament convened its first session in a transition period following elections in October.

In the October 15 election, the right-wing coalition of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) came first, winning 194 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. This result was not enough for PiS to form a new government on its own (it needs at least 231 seats).

The opposition, consisting of former Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition (KO), the New Left (NL) and the Third Way (TD), won a total of 248 seats. The far-right League (Konfederacja) won 18 seats.

President Andrzej Duda said he would re-nominate Mr. Morawiecki as a candidate for prime minister on the afternoon of November 13. Speaking to parliament, Mr. Morawiecki expressed his desire to form a new government with a spirit of unity between parties.

Earlier, on October 26, two days after meeting with the leaders of parties and coalitions that won seats in parliament, President Duda announced that both Mr. Tusk and Mr. Morawiecki were candidates for prime minister in the new government.

According to the Polish Constitution, the first session of the new parliament must take place within 30 days of the election. The president then has 14 days to appoint a prime minister and task him with forming a government.

The nominee has 14 days to secure a vote of confidence from lawmakers. If that effort fails, parliament will choose another candidate to take over as head of government.