Andrzej Duda assumes office

Andrzej Duda was sworn in as the President of Poland on Thursday before the National Assembly of lawmakers and senators. After he had taken the presidential oath, he addressed the assembly, appealing for mutual respect, which, according to him, is the key to repairing Poland. Andrzej Duda said he will uphold his pledges he made during the presidential campaign regarding raising the tax-free threshold and cutting the retirement age. Referring to foreign policy objectives, he declared that he will make efforts to increase NATO's presence in Poland and to bolster the position of Poland in the EU. The conservative politician is backed by opposition party Law and Justice (PiS). He won the presidential elections in May, beating incumbent Bronisław Komorowski.