On Thursday, 13 November post‑1 p.m., Szymon Hołownia announced his resignation as Speaker of the Polish Sejm.
Resignation Announcement and Effective Date
Hołownia confirmed that he had signed his resignation from the speaker position. The resignation becomes effective on 18 November at 8 a.m., ending his two‑year term under the coalition agreement.
New Speaker Designated
The Sejm will put forward Włodzimierz Czarzasty’s nomination for voting on 18 November, when his appointment will be ratified during the next parliamentary session.
Hołownia’s Remarks in Polsat News Interview
In a Polsat News interview, Hołownia explained that he did not regret the rotating‑speaker clause in the coalition contract, saying he leaves with some nostalgia and regret because the term has ended. He noted that the agreement could not have been signed differently given the circumstances and that the proposal to serve for the entire Sejm term was rejected by the Left coalition.
Hołownia added that Włodzimierz Czarzasty was strongly interested in the role, and compromises had to be made to form the coalition and remove the ruling PiS party from power. He expressed that he greatly enjoyed the position and the work.
Public Opinion on Hołownia’s Tenure
Same day, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita released an IBRiS poll. 45.4% of respondents judged Hołownia to be a good speaker, 41.5% disagreed, and 13.1% had no opinion. 72.4% of voters from the governing coalition rated his actions positively, whereas 65.8% of opposition supporters rated them negatively.
The paper summarized that the assessment of Hołownia’s performance exemplifies the high level of polarization in Polish society.