WARSAW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th November, 2019) Donald Tusk, the outgoing president of the European Council, said he decided not to run for president of Poland in the elections next spring.
"After careful consideration, I decided not to run for the upcoming presidential election," Tusk said, broadcast by TVN24 channel.
He emphasized that he had announced his decision prior to the election announcement, adding that he did not want to hinder the opposition in the process of nominating its candidates.
According to Tusk, the opposition can win the presidential election, but for this "you need a candidate free from the baggage of unpopular decisions, and I am burdened with such baggage."
Tusk was previously called one of the most likely opposition candidates for the presidency in his native Poland. In turn, the country's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, intended to nominate the incumbent Andrzej Duda as a candidate for a new presidential term.
The EU head promised that he would strongly support the opposition.
Tusk ran for the presidency in Poland 14 years ago, but lost to Lech Walesa, receiving 45.96 percent of the vote.
From 2007 to 2017, he served as the country's prime minister.
