Pundits comment new government line-up
11:43
The announcement of the make-up of new government formed by Law and Justice (PiS) was followed by a wave of opinions by economists, journalists and academics.
Piotr Kuczyński from investment house Xelion praised new Minister of Development, Matuesz Morawiecki who stepped down from heading commercial lender BZW WBK to become the minister. "One just doesn't get appointed as the CEO of a bank, because of political backing, but due to his competences," Kuczyński said.
In his opinion, however, raising PLN 40 million through increasing the effectiveness of tax collection, as it was announced by PiS, is impossible to achieve in the first year. "Several million złotys is possible," he added.
Economist Marek Zuber said that the biggest challenge is to be faced by Morawiecki as the next four years are of key importance for the Polish economy. He expressed concern that both Morawiecki and Finance Minister Paweł Szałamacha have experience in the private sector, but they lack political support.
Journalist Jan Wróbel was pleased with the new government line-up. "I am happy that professional politicans will become ministers." He said that he "reacts very well" to the nominations of Antoni Macierewicz, Zbgniew Ziobro and Witold Waszczykowski as these figures contributed to the PiS electoral success.
Dominika Wielowieyska from Gazeta Wyborcza disagreed with Wróbel's opinion. According to her picking Antoni Macierewicz as the Defense Minister is a "huge misfortune" for Poland and disgrace on the international arena. "The politican is extremely flippant and incompetent... It was him who turned the tragedy of the 2010 Smoleńsk air crash into grotesque spectacle." Wielowieyska reffered to the fact that Macierewicz has been the proponent of conspiracy theories about Russia's involvement in the accident.
Professor Aleksander Smolar said that the new government will "make pressures on private media." He thinks that the position of Prime Minister Beata Szydło is very weak and she will only be a messenger between ministries and the head of PiS, Jarosław Kaczyński.
According to journalist Jacek Żakowski, "PiS gave everything it had the best." However, in his opinion, the government is bad from the point of view of the state interest.
