Poland's new parliament choses a speaker, but the transition of power is delayed by president's move

abcnews.go.com:

Poland faces a contentious and protracted transition of power

WARSAW, Poland — Poland faced a contentious and protracted transition of power on Monday as the president designated the outgoing prime minister to lead the new government in a caretaker capacity, angering a pro-European Union alliance with a strong majority in the new parliament. The chamber overwhelmingly chose a speaker from the alliance that must wait longer to lead.

Political opponents accused President Andrzej Duda, who is allied with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s right-wing Law and Justice party, of acting against the will of voters by giving Morawiecki up to four more weeks to lead. They accused Morawiecki’s conservative government, in power for eight years, of hanging on to appoint allies to state positions.

Morawiecki had offered his conservative government's resignation as required after his party lost its parliament majority in last month's election, but Duda within hours redesignated him as prime minister candidate.

The alliance of pro-EU parties has vowed to restore democratic standards. Its candidate for prime minister is Donald Tusk, the centrist and former prime minister.

Morawiecki in an address to parliament expressed a desire to build a new government that transcends party divisions. When he appealed for support, his critics responded with laughter.

Duda, whose term runs for another year and a half, is expected to have a difficult relationship with the new legislature.

The lower chamber, or Sejm, in its first vote chose center-right Szymon Holownia, an ally of Tusk, as its speaker. The 47-year-old Holownia, a former Poland's Got Talent co-host and a rising star in Polish politics, was backed by 265 lawmakers. A candidate from