President Andrzej Duda on the Responsibility of Power and the Everyday Concerns of Citizens. A Strong Message at the End of His Term

From the very beginning, President Andrzej Duda emphasised that the key task of the new government is to ensure stability and security, understood not only as the protection of borders or the modernisation of the military, but also as internal order and predictability.

"That Poland is stable, that it is governed, that there is order", he repeated emphatically.

Particular importance was placed on continuity of governance. The decision to hold the ceremony immediately was intended to underline that there is no power vacuum in Poland; the government is functioning, and responsibility has been delegated.

The President recalled his speech from a few months earlier, following the parliamentary elections, in which he appealed to all sides of the political scene to respect the democratic transition of power.

“Those in power must always remember that the citizens are constantly evaluating them,” he said.

In doing so, he referred to his own experience, both as the sitting president and as an observer of political changes.

In the most poignant part of his speech, the President addressed the everyday concerns of Polish citizens. Unlike media debates or political clashes, he stressed, most people do not follow politicians’ statements daily, but judge the government based on whether their lives are comfortable, safe, and stable.

“Can they send their children to school? Plan a holiday? Do they have a job? Does their business still exist?” he listed, emphasising the profound yet straightforward meaning of public service.

Closing his speech, the President called on the newly appointed ministers to act with a sense of responsibility toward the state and its citizens, reminding them that they would be held accountable not for declarations, but for tangible results.

“This is how we are judged, not by who wins the debate, but by how people are living,” he stressed.

President Andrzej Duda’s address can be seen as a manifesto of leadership rooted in civic reality rather than party politics. It served as a reminder that the foundation of a modern state lies not only in the strength of its institutions, but also in empathy and the ability to listen to the needs of ordinary people.

Text: Wyspa TV Editorial Team