WARSAW, Poland (AP) — European Union leader Donald Tusk says that he won't run to be the president of his native Poland, saying he carries too much "baggage" from his time as prime minister.

Tusk, who was prime minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014, was seen as a politician who could block the right-wing populist drift of the country, which has raised concerns about rule of law.

Incumbent Andrzej Duda, who supports the ruling Law and Justice party, faces re-election in the spring of 2020.

Tusk, speaking from Brussels, told Polish TV stations on Tuesday that "I will not be a candidate in the next presidential elections," citing the "baggage that I carry from the time that I was prime minister."