ISTANBUL

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s ruling Civic Platform party on Saturday officially began the process of merging with two smaller coalition partners, forming a new political entity under the rebranded name Civic Coalition.

The merger brings together Tusk’s center-right Civic Platform with the centrist Nowoczesna (Modern) party and the progressive Polish Initiative, both of which will dissolve and be absorbed into the new structure, TVP World reported.

Until now, the three parties had governed under the broader Civic Coalition alliance, which also included Poland’s Green Party. With the merger, the alliance will cease to exist, and the Civic Platform will formally change its name to Civic Coalition.

The Greens will not join the new alliance but intend to continue cooperating with Tusk’s camp ahead of the 2027 parliamentary elections, during which they plan to run independently.

Speaking at the convention in Warsaw, Tusk told delegates: “We’re called the Civic Coalition because, as the Civic Coalition, we’ve won elections before and we’ll win the next. We don’t have to invent anything, no tricks.”

The merger process still requires registration with the National Court Register and internal leadership elections, which officials said could be completed by mid-January.

Meanwhile, the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party held its own convention this weekend, unveiling a new political platform centered on security, foreign affairs, defense, and healthcare.

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski criticized the ruling camp’s merger, calling it an attempt to boost its popularity amid tightening polls.