Poland’s president has asked the current prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki of the Law and Justice party, to try to form the country’s next government.

President Andrzej Duda made the announcement following a national election in which the right-wing Law and Justice lost its parliamentary majority to three allied opposition parties but emerged as the single biggest vote-getter.

An ally of the current government, Mr Duda had said the two candidates for prime minister were Mr Morawiecki and main opposition leader Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and top European Union official.

His decision is expected to delay the establishment of a functioning government because lawmakers are not likely to give Mr Morawiecki the necessary approval for his Cabinet.

Mr Duda stressed that Mr Morawiecki’s party should be given the chance to stay in power since it won more votes than any other single party.