As a vicious, bruising campaign comes to its climax before parliamentary elections on 15 October, Tusk, a veteran of Polish and European politics, has sought to make this point with increasing urgency.
The rally was just one stop on a busy campaign trail for Tusk, whose Civic Coalition is seeking to prevent the nationalist, populist Law and Justice (PiS) government from winning a third term.
Crowds queued to see Tusk in Bydgoszcz, and at least 2,000 packed the hall to hear him speak, waving Polish flags and applauding regularly. Tusk told them the parliamentary vote would be a referendum on Poland's future as a state with democratic norms as well as on its place inside the EU.
"It will be crucial for Poland's future, for the future of our children and grandchildren," he said.
Tusk is perhaps Poland's bestknown politician internationally. He was the prime minister between 2007 and 2014, when he left to become the European Council president. In 2015 his party suffered a surprise defeat in elections, with PiS coming to power.
Now Tusk is back. He has run a slick campaign designed to counter the stereotype that his is the party of the metropolitan elite. In Bydgoszcz, he referred to himself several times as a "normal person", and frequently talked of his grandchildren.
He is not a great orator but appears comfortable on stage and brings the gravitas of experience: he's done the job before, after all.
Tusk's key foe in this battle is the other major figure of recent Polish politics, Jarosław Kaczyński, the PiS chair, who controls his party in a largely behind-the-scenes role.
This story is from the October 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the October 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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