New nationalist President Karol Nawrocki called for a "sovereign Poland" and promised to "fight those who are pushing the nation towards decline" as he was sworn in on Wednesday.
Nawrocki, 42, a supporter of US President Donald Trump, won a June 1 election in a major blow for the pro-EU government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council president.
"I will be the voice of those who want a sovereign Poland that is in the EU, but a Poland that is not the EU," he told lawmakers after taking his oath of office.
"We must fight those who are pushing the nation towards decline and degradation," he said, citing Ignacy Paderewski, a Polish prime minister from the early 20th century.
Nawrocki, a historian and political novice, has branded Tusk's government as the "worst" in the history of post-communist Poland.
Tusk said he was "prepared, of course" for a "confrontation" with the new president.
He also warned Nawrocki against overstepping his remit.
"If necessary, we will of course stand firm as guardians of the constitution," he said.
Presidents in Poland can initiate as well as veto legislation, but the government is in charge of domestic and foreign policy.
In a more conciliatory message on social media, Tusk said he had already worked with three presidents in the past.
"What will it be like with the fourth? We'll manage," he wrote.
Relations between government and president are likely to be tense, particularly in the run-up to parliamentary elections planned for 2027.
'He doesn't grovel'
Outside the parliament, thousands of people came to show their support for Nawrocki.
"He doesn't grovel before Brussels," Jan Smolinski, 75, a retired miner, told AFP, adding: "He's a true Pole, flesh and blood."
Marietta Borcz, a 57-year-old dental assistant, said it was "important" to her that Nawrocki "is Catholic and will uphold Christian values".
During the election campaign, Nawrocki ruled out easing Poland's near total abortion ban or allowing same-sex civil partnerships.
Nawrocki greeted supporters in different parts of Warsaw and attended a mass in the capital's Old Town.
Also outside the parliament, a small group of around 20 protesters held up black roses, saying Nawrocki's inauguration was "a black day for Poland".
Stanislawa Sklodowska, 72, a retired economist said his election "reflects poorly on us Poles".
Nawrocki, who travelled to Washington to seek Trump's backing during the campaign, won a narrow victory against liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski.
The result showed the high degree of political polarisation in the EU and NATO member state, a key supporter of neighbouring Ukraine.
Nawrocki has promised to be "an active president" from the start and has said he wants to "stimulate" the government with various bills.
But the government holds a parliamentary majority and analysts say the two sides may be forced to make some compromises.
"Both parties should realise that engaging in intense confrontation is obviously not the way forward," said Piotr Trudnowski, a member of Klub Jagiellonski, a Christian-Democrat think tank.
'Poland First, Poles First'
Ewa Marciniak, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw, said that Nawrocki would have to work with the government on foreign policy – in which he has "no experience".
During the election campaign, he highlighted the importance of ties with the United States and his close ties with Trump.
"It is precisely from this that he will build his foreign policy, at least initially," Marciniak said.
One major difference could be relations with Ukraine.
Trudnowski said that Nawrocki would "not be as enthusiastic" as his predecessor Andrzej Duda on Ukraine.
During his campaign, Nawrocki opposed the idea of NATO membership for Ukraine and criticised Kyiv for not having "shown gratitude for what the Poles have done".
Under his slogan "Poland First, Poles First", he was critical of some of the benefits received by the more than one million Ukrainians who have fled to the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Nawrocki on Wednesday and said he looked forward to "constructive and direct dialogue".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
EU nation shelves purchase of
US F-35 fighter jets – media
Spain has shelved plans to buy US-made F-35 stealth jets. The move is tied to EU defense spending rules and concerns over reliance on American weapons, El Pais has reported, citing government sources.
Preliminary talks had already begun over the fifth-generation fighter – built by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin – and Spain’s 2023 defense budget earmarked over €6 billion ($7 billion) to replace its aging Harrier and F-18 jets.
Although Madrid has committed to raising military spending to 2% of GDP, a new €10.5 billion defense plan allocates 85% of the funds to EU industry. The condition effectively blocked a US deal, according to the report on Wednesday. The move aligns with the EU’s growing militarization push and aims to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
An order of around 50 jets had reportedly been under discussion but is now on hold. The decision leaves the Spanish Navy without a fixed-wing successor for its AV-8B fleet, which is due to retire by 2030.
Spain’s Air Force had also reportedly considered the F-35A as a stopgap until the EU’s sixth-generation FCAS fighter becomes operational – not expected before 2040. While Madrid has acquired Eurofighters to replace older F-18s, military leaders warn against relying on a single aircraft type.
Despite the high cost, the F-35 was viewed as the most advanced option. “We’ll have to survive with fourth-generation fighters and hope FCAS arrives,” Spain’s Admiral Teodoro Lopez Calderon said in July.
The shift comes amid friction with Washington over defense spending. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez clashed with US President Donald Trump at June’s NATO summit after rejecting a 5% military spending target. Trump responded with tariff threats.
Washington has also urged allies to buy American weapons. While Lockheed Martin said Spain’s F-35s would be built in Italy and qualify as ‘European’, concerns remain over US control of the aircraft’s systems and rising maintenance costs. Critics argue that the deal could deepen dependence on Washington.
Spain’s decision follows similar doubts in Germany and a review in Canada, as several NATO members reassess orders over cost, control, and political pressure.
Another right-leaning politician removed from office by leftist, pro Europe government and judiciary.
Bosnian Serb leader blasts decision to oust him
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has slammed Bosnia’s election commission for revoking his mandate, calling it “more crap from Sarajevo” in a post on X on Wednesday. The leader of the Serb-majority autonomous region has signaled that he will defy the ruling and not step down.
Bosnia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) earlier annulled Dodik’s mandate after a Sarajevo court sentenced him to one year in prison and banned him from political office for six years over alleged anti-constitutional conduct.
“What if I refuse?.. That’s just more crap from Sarajevo. The last,” Dodik wrote. “Surrender and giving up do not exist. Surrender is not an option.”
He pledged to remain in office, vowing to continue “conscientiously and responsibly” performing his duties and defending the interests of the people while upholding the constitutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.
Dodik is accused of blocking Constitutional Court rulings in Republika Srpska and defying Christian Schmidt, the international envoy for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Schmidt, a German national, heads the Office of the High Representative, which oversees the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian War.
Dodik has long accused Schmidt of overreach and infringing on Republika Srpska’s autonomy. In February, a Sarajevo court ruled he acted illegally by signing laws that made Schmidt’s decrees non-binding in the region.
Dodik rejected the verdict, claiming Western powers were behind it, but his appeal was rejected by a Bosnian court last week.
CEC member Suad Arnautovic claimed Dodik’s removal from office follows the law, which applies to elected officials sentenced to more than six months in jail. The decision will take effect after the appeals period. If the appeals fail, early elections are expected within 90 days.
Moscow, which does not recognize Schmidt’s authority without UN Security Council approval, has condemned Dodik’s conviction. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday called it “absurd, unjust, and anti-democratic,” describing the case as “fabricated” to remove “an undesirable leader who consistently opposes Western neocolonialism.” She labeled Schmidt a “useful idiot” of the West, which “stubbornly continues to consider Bosnia and Herzegovina their protectorate.”
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