Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a government reshuffle on July 23 in a bid to regain political momentum following the opposition’s victory in the presidential election in June.

Tusk said the new line-up would improve policy delivery and concentrate on strategic priorities, which he defined as “order, security, and the future” of a country that has long outpaced the rest of Europe in economic growth but remains vulnerable to interference from neighbouring Russia and its ally Belarus.

The reshuffled cabinet includes conservative Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski as a new deputy prime minister, a move seen as an overture to the political right. Tusk is seeking to counter the rise of radical right-wing forces in Poland.

The four-party coalition has recently struggled in opinion polls. Tusk’s Civic Platform (KO) is now polling neck and neck with the far-right Law and Justice (PiS) party, while other coalition partners would fail to cross the parliamentary threshold if elections were held today.

Instead, the far-right Konfederacja alliance is polling well enough to form a potential majority with PiS—an outcome Tusk strongly warned against.

The government has struggled to respond effectively to narratives pushed by PiS and Konfederacja, particularly on issues such as undocumented migration.

“If you thought the battle between good and evil ended [in 2023], you were wrong. It had only begun,” Tusk said, referring to the election two years ago that brought the current government to power.

Tusk also pointed to a recent warning from Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, who said China could move against Taiwan in a coordinated escalation with Russia by 2027.

That year will also see Poland hold its next general election. But many voters have now grown disillusioned with the government, criticising it for failing to deliver on key promises such as easing Poland's very strict abortion regulations.

Some of the changes appear aimed at addressing those concerns more directly now. Tusk dismissed Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, replacing him with Waldemar Żurek, a long-time opponent of PiS’s judiciary reforms. Bodnar was criticised for not moving decisively enough to reverse controversial changes to the courts and for not pursuing accountability for former PiS officials.

A new health minister will also be appointed to tackle the pressing challenge of stabilising the finances of the National Health Fund. Other ministerial changes include new heads for agriculture, sport, and culture. A separate ministry of energy will be established.

Tusk also expanded the responsibilities of Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, putting him in charge of a newly created superministry that will oversee both finance and the economy. The new ministry will serve as a “single centre operating transparently and implementing a comprehensive economic policy,” Tusk said.

With opposition-backed President Karol Nawrocki set to take office on August 6, the new government must now contend with the likelihood of presidential vetoes stalling its legislative agenda. Frictions within the pro-European coalition have intensified since Trzaskowski’s defeat in June.

Tusk warned his coalition partners that internal dissent would not be tolerated, saying that open debate was welcome but must not undermine unity. The government thus hopes to shift the burden of obstruction to Nawrocki by pushing through legislation that he would have to publicly reject.

“All laws that will be good for Poles will meet with my approval,” Nawrocki said in a July 22 interview. But few in the government expect the president to view its agenda in favourable terms.

A hostile head of state is central to PiS’s strategy of portraying the current administration as ineffective ahead of the 2027 vote.

The government’s current standing is weak. According to a CBOS poll released this week, 48% of respondents said they oppose the Tusk administration, up one percentage point from June. Support remained unchanged at 32%.