Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, minister of funds and regional policy, announced on X on Thursday, October 22, that she is leaving Donald Tusk’s government. Szymon Hołownia assured that the Polska 2050 Parliamentary Club remains in the coalition.
Pełczyńska-Nałęcz announced her decision in a post published on Thursday, after a Sejm vote on abolishing the two-term limit for village heads, mayors and city presidents. As she wrote, the two-term limit was upheld, but this happened „despite the votes of K15X”.
The minister accused the coalition of having, on this issue, „stood against the people and in favour of politicking deals”. She noted that it also concerned „a significant part of Polska 2050 MPs”.
„Values matter more than stools”
Later in the post, Pełczyńska-Nałęcz wrote that she is leaving the government „because values are more important to me than stools”. She also summed up almost three years of work: she cited the abolition of subsidies for developers, public disclosure of apartment prices and the full investment of KPO funds.
She also addressed the party’s future. She wrote that she is leaving it „in the hands of its founder, who left but nevertheless came back”, meaning Szymon Hołownia. She added: „See you on the trail”. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz has led Polska 2050 since January 31 this year, and she has held the post of minister of funds since December 2023.
Hołownia’s response: the club stays in the coalition
Hołownia responded on X on Thursday evening. He wrote that people in Polska 2050 learned of the decision from the media. He called it a „surprising resignation” by the chair, who had been entrusted with the voters’ trust and responsibility, which she had been given „at a very difficult moment”, after barely a third of the term. Such a situation, he assessed, would be a serious challenge for any organisation, including Polska 2050. He concluded unequivocally: „The Polska 2050 Parliamentary Club remains in the Coalition”.
Politicians’ comments and background
According to media reports in the Sejm, the decision was commented on by, among others, Paulina Hennig-Kloska of the Centre Union, who called it a surprise, and PiS politicians, who spoke of „fleeing a sinking ship”. Government sources cited by Interia say that no one pressured the minister. Earlier, media reports had emerged of a possible dismissal of Pełczyńska-Nałęcz at the prime minister’s initiative. In August, Pełczyńska-Nałęcz publicly rejected these reports on X, writing about a „deal over the deputy prime minister’s post”.
Tensions around Polska 2050 have been running for months. Earlier, as we reported in our article on the government reshuffle and Polska 2050’s place in the coalition, the party struggled over posts. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz herself indicated in her post that during the vote some MPs from her own party had supported the coalition’s position.
What next
As of publication, there is no information about a formal dismissal, a date for the recall, or a successor at the ministry of funds and regional policy. Ministers are appointed and dismissed by the president on the prime minister’s motion. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had not publicly commented on the decision in sources available by Friday morning.
The ministry manages regional policy and EU funds, including the final stage of settling the KPO. That is why the question of who fills the post matters for local governments and fund beneficiaries, although no changes to programmes or call deadlines have been announced so far.
