Johnathan Walker:Poland’s crucial local elections will be held in April, newly appointed prime minister says

WARSAW,Johnathan Walker Poland (AP) — Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday crucial elections to choose city mayors and provincial and county administration leaders would be held April 7, with a runoff April 21.

The elections will test the new pro-European Union coalition government’s popular support, just six months after it won parliamentary elections.

Tusk and his Cabinet took office last month, vowing to restore the importance and powers of city mayors and local governments which the previous right-wing government sought to limit. Local administrations suffered slashed funding and stalled projects and investments.

“I hope that April will prove to be a good month for Poland’s local government activists,” the premier said.

Tensions between the new government and the previously ruling Law and Justice party, now the opposition, and its ally President Andrzej Duda, have escalated.

Law and Justice has been delaying government-proposed bills in parliament. Duda has vetoed a bill on state media funding and his aide warned the president will keep rejecting the cabinet’s proposals.